Scene 2: Alienation

Jim outside the hospital. The framing and angle illustrate his insignificance.

Jim walking by an iconic London double-decker bus, flipped on its side with broken windows.

Extreme long shot of Jim entering Piccadilly Circus. The desolation of the usually vibrant London landmark highlights the terror of total isolation and alienation.

Long shot of Jim examining the notice board in deserted Piccadilly Circus. At this point he begins to realize the horror behind the horror of deserted London--rage zombies!

Jim walking past the overturned bus of Alienation Still 2. This shows his isolation, but not yet his horror as he hasn't fully realized the extent of London's desolation.

Jim standing in front of Big Ben. Inclusion of recognizable London landmarks, such as Big Ben here and the London Eye elsewhere in the clip, with absolutely no people around, dials up the creepiness factor.

Jim walking through maze of buildings. The canted angle of the shot increases the viewer's sense of disorientation and alienation.

Jim navigating deserted London. This particular still showing what must have been a usually busy intersection illustrates how reliant our basic concept of city space is on its inhabitants. Another interesting feature of this frame is the statue visible at the bottom left, with open arms suggesting hope or salvation that is tragically and horrifically unavailable to Jim in this barren cityscape.

28 Days Later…

Jim wakes up in the hospital, all alone, with no idea what has happened to everyone else. He is totally alienated and confused. He doesn’t yet know that the whole structure of society has broken down and zombies now roam the streets in hordes. He sees all the usual landmarks, stops to pick up discarded money, but has no actual human contact. Indeed, the sudden noise of a car alarm is incredibly startling because it highlights the desolation and resultant silence of an evacuated London.

Director Danny Boyle’s choice to shoot 28 Days Later on digital video results in a gritty, almost documentary-like look here, increasing the sense of uncertainty and shakiness. Framing follows a general pattern throughout Jim’s walk through London—we see an establishing shot of a beloved landmark, there are not the usual swarms of Londoners, and Jim himself is only vaguely visible in the frame. Then the camera zooms or cuts into a closer shot of Jim. He is disoriented, again clinging to the places and modes of social conduct he knows  (for example, he has donned hospital clothes, rather than remaining naked as he was when we awoke in his hospital bed). Rather than finding comfort in a familiar setting, this London is totally alien. The city is (as critic Jeff May describes) in a very real way constituted not only by its physical space and structures, but also by its inhabitants. Without them, London does not exist.

The cuts become faster, the music more manic, as Jim realizes what has happened. He finds discarded newspapers shouting, “EVACUATION,” and discovers a bulletin board in Piccadilly Circus with postings from people searching for loved ones. The world has gone to hell and Jim is left alone.

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