’28 Years Later’ Director Nia DaCosta Explains What The Bone Temple Means

Despite the poor box office performance of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the film has still managed to find success in its reception from critics and audiences alike. The movie received rave reviews upon its release, proving the the dark second chapter in Danny Boyle, Nia DaCosta, and Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later trilogy struck a chord with its story. Focusing on Doctor Ian Kelson (Ralph Feinnes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) as their stories intersect in a fiery conclusion, The Bone Temple is an entertaining sequel as well as a thought-provoking meditation on faith, evil, and the state of the world.

In an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple director Nia DaCosta talked about what she sees as the meaning of the titular structure. Introduced in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, the bone temple is a memorial to the victims of the Rage Virus, built entirely by Kelson from the remains of the dead. As DaCosta told us, she sees a certain sort of beauty in the grisly structure:

“I think it’s truly a physical manifestation of his belief system, which is like, if you remember you must die, then you will live. You’ll really live. And also, if you memento amoris, remember you must love. That’s what the bone temple is about, because in creating a monument to the dead, it’s also a huge act of love. That’s what it means to me.”

Much like the 28 Years Later franchise overall, The Bone Temple shows the best and worst of humanity. While Jimmy Crystal and his “fingers” reflect our darkest inclinations, Kelson shows its potential for good despite all the evil in the world.

’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Is a Dark Film With a Hopeful Ending

Sony Pictures

Alex Garland had previously stated that the first film in the 28 Years Later trilogy was about the nature of family, DaCosta’s The Bone Temple is about the nature of evil, and the third planned film will focus on the nature of redemption. The ending of this latest film seems to provide some indication that the series will move on from the titular structure and take its characters into new territory, so DaCosta’s belief that the bone temple is representative of Kelson’s love and empathy for humankind feels like the final and authoritative interpretation.

While Jimmy Crystal’s dark crusade was entirely centered on extinguishing life, Kelson’s structure and monument to those deaths serves as a message that life is precious because it ends, and should be lived to the fullest. The Bone Temple is a dark film, but the ending is optimistic, promising a brighter future for its characters, playing into the director’s analysis of Kelson’s macabre structure with a surprisingly heartfelt meaning behind it.