Juan Carlos Fresnadillo really impressed me with his debut feature film Intacto nearly five years ago. He also caught the attention of esteemed filmmaker, Danny Boyle, who had just finished his post-apocalyptic ode to the zombie genre, 28 Days Later. When it came time for Boyle to hire someone to direct the sequel 28 Weeks Later it seems that Fresnadillo was high on his list. Fresnadillo has directed 28 Weeks Later with grand aplomb and has created a fast paced thriller that combines what 28 Days Later did with new unexpected elements. Robert Carlyle plays a man who in the wake of the rage virus spreading across England was able to hide in a safe house with his wife. When the infected break into their refuge, he makes a split second decision and leaves his wife to be infected. The story picks up again 28 weeks later, the infected have all starved to death and the US military have set up a safe haven in the middle of London. Carlyles character is safe in the green zone and is able to have his children fly back into the country and the family can be reunited. But his wife has been discovered to be a Typhoid Mary type with the rage virus and she is brought into the safe zone with dangerous results.
Check out the website for 28 Weeks Later
Daniel Robert Epstein: I didnt expect all the political parallels in 28 Weeks Later, was that in your pitch or did Danny [Boyle] and [28 Days Later screenwriter] Alex [Garland] come up with that?
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo: Let me explain the development of the story to understand your point. I felt that this is about how this family is going to be affected. What happened in the beginning with this man and his wife, the guilt, the children and how they cant forget their mother. To me, the problems around that family are the heart of the story. That throws love into the veins of the rest of the movie, but the heart is black because of the event that is affecting the mentality of this man and is changing his behavior. When I received the invitation to make this movie, I thought that this is a movie about a virus that can destroy your world, that can destroy your family and everything that you know. Its a microscopic thing, something you cant see; it is an invisible menace. So thats why when I was developing the story I said, Okay, we need to link that with emotions. I think this movie is more of an apocalyptic movie than a horror movie, but in terms of the connection with the audience, I think its important to build something similar with the characters. To make a connection with the characters and something you cant see, and its affecting you and its destroying you and its creating a pattern in your behavior, which is the guilt in the father. What gets to the father is the virus, but already inside he cant deal with that.
Obviously, when youre dealing with the landscape of the reconstruction of a country, then you need to follow up the normal procedure, which is militaries coming in and helping these people. I did a lot of research about that and found that they would establish a safe area. Those parallels that you find in the story are something that wasnt intended. I love to bring realism into the movies and when you do that, the movie becomes a mirror. You can see the many things that are happening now because we are living in a difficult time and the movie is talking about things like war so its unavoidable that you can find these connections. But my intention was not to judge, not to criticize, only to take a picture of the reality. Then you can judge for yourself and choose your connection and you can decide what you think of this world. But my only my intention was to create an entertaining movie with something connected to the real world that we are living in.
DRE: Yes but its hard to ignore, for Americans at least, things like the stadium being a safe place like it was during Hurricane Katrina, a sort of demilitarized zone in the middle of chaos like the Green Zone in Iraq. Were any of those things in the screenplay before you came onboard?
Juan: When I read the first screenplay, the frame was the rebuilding and the reconstruction process. The whole procedure of the military bringing these people in. That was something we wrote and developed.
DRE: Was it always your plan to shoot this on film as opposed to 28 Days Later which was shot on video?
Juan: We shot it in film, because my first reaction when Danny proposed this movie to me was Yes, I would love to do this movie if I am free to do it as I want. He said, Yes, do your movie and forget about the first one. I play a particular game with my reading of the story, which is that Im going to play a journalist. I am going to be there with the camera and Im going to shoot this rebuilding process. Thats why 16mm was better for the texture of the movie, because 16mm reminds me of the documentaries that I love. The cameras are really small and you can move easily around on the set. The documentary style was a big inspiration for this movie because it brings realism and at the same time you can convey something very powerful at the same time.
DRE: 28 Days Later had a very unique look to it. Your film uses elements of that look while still establishing its own feeling. What made you want to incorporate the look of the first film?
Juan: I knew we needed to make a new step in this story. My personal point of view of this landscape is that human beings are in danger because there is an infection about to attack their world. From that I got enough freedom from the producers and Danny Boyle to make the movie in the way that I wanted. I brought my Spanish producer Enrique Lpez Lavigne and we worked really hard to make something with the flavor of the first one, but trying to take a new step. When youre dealing with a sequel its your mission as a filmmaker to bring in new ideas. Thats why there are no characters from the first one in this and why we changed the look a little by shooting in 16mm.
DRE: A lot of these kinds of films either have people in the movie trying to protect the cure or dont with a cure at all. 28 Days Later was the latter but 28 Weeks Later deals with the former. What made you decide to do that?
Juan: Because I think that human beings are always trying to solve the problem with science and that means trying to find a cure. In this movie, we talk about that in terms of control. You have an area that is absolutely devastated and deserted and the way that you need to get life to the places again is creating and controlling the bubble so you dont think too much about the gaps that may be in a safe area. Its impossible to control absolutely.
DRE: Alex Garland says the infected are zombies while Danny Boyle disagrees. What do you think?
Juan: I dont see this movie as a zombie movie. Zombies are related with death. They are living dead, but they are dead. So in that sense, its a fantasy. In the world of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, we are talking about something that is alive. Were talking about a virus. Its so connected with life because its rage. We are living in a world surrounded by rage. When we were shooting this movie, it was important to use the camera to convey that life is intense and crazy. So for me zombie movies were not a source of inspiration for this. There are several characteristics that remind you of zombies but in the deeper meaning, I think the infected are completely different than zombies.
DRE: Do you think 28 Weeks Later has a more evolved version of the infected?
Juan: This concept of a human approach is also used with the infected. We track one of the infected, the father. In the father you see these flashes of the memory, which is something that I really love. Its a new introduction into this world. When you are completely sick, there are several things from the past that you cant forget, particularly when they are important to the main conflict of his character, which is that he feels like a coward for abandoning his wife. That psychological drama is already inside of him and despite the fact that hes infected, there are several flashes where he is still human.
DRE: Would you be able to kill your friends if they turned?
Juan: Absolutely [laughs]. But to be honest, I dont know. I love the movie in those terms, would you kill your friends? Would you abandon them? The main conflict at the beginning of the movie is, will you be able to abandon your wife and run in a split second? It seems so scary, because I think sometimes in our lives our survivor instincts are stronger than the love. Thats not bad, because its human. There are other moments when your love is more like the people who sacrifice themselves for the kids. Before you see the sniper abandoning his position and deciding to save some people, hes killing innocent people. I believe if you blend colors, like black and white, it gives you a more complex portrait than just the good guy and the bad guy.
DRE: In-between releasing Intacto and coming onto 28 Weeks Later, were you developing lots of things that just didnt come through?
Juan: Yes, I was developing many projects. I read a lot of American projects that people sent to me, but I wasnt very convinced about them. At the same time, I was writing a lot of stuff. When I received the offer for 28 Weeks Later my first reaction was that I didnt know London and London is a big character in this story. But when I met with Danny, he was so clear. I would love for you to create your own movie. We need fresh eyes to this story. That statement was so important for me.
DRE: It must have been a very big change from making Intacto.
Juan: Yes but it was good. Of course, the budget was higher but we didnt lose the sense of a guerilla movie because to shoot in the emptiness of London, you need to do it in an independent way. You cant ask for permission because permissions take months and you are in a real rush. Also I think its good for this concept to bring this sense of fresh and spontaneous shooting. I work with concepts, which is an idea that justifies every image you are going to see. At the end of the day, no matter what the budget is, youre telling a story.
DRE: If there is a 28 Months Later would you want to be involved?
Juan: I dont think so. Its amazing that everyones talking about 28 Months Later.
DRE: Im already thinking about 28 Years Later.
Juan: [laughs] I understand why everybody is doing that, because now that one sequel is done, everybodys expecting another. That means that the story works, which is fantastic.
DRE: How was working with Alejandro Jodorowsky on the short film Psicotaxi?
Juan: Alejandro is amazing. Hes the wisdom. Hes giving light to his world. I remember why I shot that. I had read one of his books, The Dance of Reality, which is a biography but fictional as well. I thought, This man is fantastic. Hes so wise. He makes movies, hes a comic book writer, hes a screenwriter. I thought it would be great to have an encounter with him and I shot the encounter. The idea was to have therapy driving around together in the car in Paris. When I shot that, he made a fast therapy in the taxi with me and it was really fun. It was an excuse to show this man and his fantastic thoughts to the world.
DRE: I read that Disney has the remake rights to Intacto.
Juan: Yes. The last thing that I knew, from about two years ago, was that there was a screenplay. I dont know anything else but I am keen to know whats going on with that remake.
DRE: Would you be interested in being involved?
Juan: No. I understood when Danny offered 28 Weeks Later to somebody else because when you create a personal story, it would be hard to imagine the next chapter. It is very generous if you give people the opportunity to create something with your connection.
DRE: I read that it was your dad who got you into movies.
Juan: Yes, he gave me a Super-8 camera when I was young.
DRE: Was he the one who took you to see a lot of movies in the theaters?
Juan: It was my mother in particular who was always talking to me about the movies. But with the camera it is a funny story because I made my first movie when I was 16 years old in London. I went there with my camera and I shot a documentary. It was very inspirational.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Check out the website for 28 Weeks Later
Daniel Robert Epstein: I didnt expect all the political parallels in 28 Weeks Later, was that in your pitch or did Danny [Boyle] and [28 Days Later screenwriter] Alex [Garland] come up with that?
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo: Let me explain the development of the story to understand your point. I felt that this is about how this family is going to be affected. What happened in the beginning with this man and his wife, the guilt, the children and how they cant forget their mother. To me, the problems around that family are the heart of the story. That throws love into the veins of the rest of the movie, but the heart is black because of the event that is affecting the mentality of this man and is changing his behavior. When I received the invitation to make this movie, I thought that this is a movie about a virus that can destroy your world, that can destroy your family and everything that you know. Its a microscopic thing, something you cant see; it is an invisible menace. So thats why when I was developing the story I said, Okay, we need to link that with emotions. I think this movie is more of an apocalyptic movie than a horror movie, but in terms of the connection with the audience, I think its important to build something similar with the characters. To make a connection with the characters and something you cant see, and its affecting you and its destroying you and its creating a pattern in your behavior, which is the guilt in the father. What gets to the father is the virus, but already inside he cant deal with that.
Obviously, when youre dealing with the landscape of the reconstruction of a country, then you need to follow up the normal procedure, which is militaries coming in and helping these people. I did a lot of research about that and found that they would establish a safe area. Those parallels that you find in the story are something that wasnt intended. I love to bring realism into the movies and when you do that, the movie becomes a mirror. You can see the many things that are happening now because we are living in a difficult time and the movie is talking about things like war so its unavoidable that you can find these connections. But my intention was not to judge, not to criticize, only to take a picture of the reality. Then you can judge for yourself and choose your connection and you can decide what you think of this world. But my only my intention was to create an entertaining movie with something connected to the real world that we are living in.
DRE: Yes but its hard to ignore, for Americans at least, things like the stadium being a safe place like it was during Hurricane Katrina, a sort of demilitarized zone in the middle of chaos like the Green Zone in Iraq. Were any of those things in the screenplay before you came onboard?
Juan: When I read the first screenplay, the frame was the rebuilding and the reconstruction process. The whole procedure of the military bringing these people in. That was something we wrote and developed.
DRE: Was it always your plan to shoot this on film as opposed to 28 Days Later which was shot on video?
Juan: We shot it in film, because my first reaction when Danny proposed this movie to me was Yes, I would love to do this movie if I am free to do it as I want. He said, Yes, do your movie and forget about the first one. I play a particular game with my reading of the story, which is that Im going to play a journalist. I am going to be there with the camera and Im going to shoot this rebuilding process. Thats why 16mm was better for the texture of the movie, because 16mm reminds me of the documentaries that I love. The cameras are really small and you can move easily around on the set. The documentary style was a big inspiration for this movie because it brings realism and at the same time you can convey something very powerful at the same time.
DRE: 28 Days Later had a very unique look to it. Your film uses elements of that look while still establishing its own feeling. What made you want to incorporate the look of the first film?
Juan: I knew we needed to make a new step in this story. My personal point of view of this landscape is that human beings are in danger because there is an infection about to attack their world. From that I got enough freedom from the producers and Danny Boyle to make the movie in the way that I wanted. I brought my Spanish producer Enrique Lpez Lavigne and we worked really hard to make something with the flavor of the first one, but trying to take a new step. When youre dealing with a sequel its your mission as a filmmaker to bring in new ideas. Thats why there are no characters from the first one in this and why we changed the look a little by shooting in 16mm.
DRE: A lot of these kinds of films either have people in the movie trying to protect the cure or dont with a cure at all. 28 Days Later was the latter but 28 Weeks Later deals with the former. What made you decide to do that?
Juan: Because I think that human beings are always trying to solve the problem with science and that means trying to find a cure. In this movie, we talk about that in terms of control. You have an area that is absolutely devastated and deserted and the way that you need to get life to the places again is creating and controlling the bubble so you dont think too much about the gaps that may be in a safe area. Its impossible to control absolutely.
DRE: Alex Garland says the infected are zombies while Danny Boyle disagrees. What do you think?
Juan: I dont see this movie as a zombie movie. Zombies are related with death. They are living dead, but they are dead. So in that sense, its a fantasy. In the world of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, we are talking about something that is alive. Were talking about a virus. Its so connected with life because its rage. We are living in a world surrounded by rage. When we were shooting this movie, it was important to use the camera to convey that life is intense and crazy. So for me zombie movies were not a source of inspiration for this. There are several characteristics that remind you of zombies but in the deeper meaning, I think the infected are completely different than zombies.
DRE: Do you think 28 Weeks Later has a more evolved version of the infected?
Juan: This concept of a human approach is also used with the infected. We track one of the infected, the father. In the father you see these flashes of the memory, which is something that I really love. Its a new introduction into this world. When you are completely sick, there are several things from the past that you cant forget, particularly when they are important to the main conflict of his character, which is that he feels like a coward for abandoning his wife. That psychological drama is already inside of him and despite the fact that hes infected, there are several flashes where he is still human.
DRE: Would you be able to kill your friends if they turned?
Juan: Absolutely [laughs]. But to be honest, I dont know. I love the movie in those terms, would you kill your friends? Would you abandon them? The main conflict at the beginning of the movie is, will you be able to abandon your wife and run in a split second? It seems so scary, because I think sometimes in our lives our survivor instincts are stronger than the love. Thats not bad, because its human. There are other moments when your love is more like the people who sacrifice themselves for the kids. Before you see the sniper abandoning his position and deciding to save some people, hes killing innocent people. I believe if you blend colors, like black and white, it gives you a more complex portrait than just the good guy and the bad guy.
DRE: In-between releasing Intacto and coming onto 28 Weeks Later, were you developing lots of things that just didnt come through?
Juan: Yes, I was developing many projects. I read a lot of American projects that people sent to me, but I wasnt very convinced about them. At the same time, I was writing a lot of stuff. When I received the offer for 28 Weeks Later my first reaction was that I didnt know London and London is a big character in this story. But when I met with Danny, he was so clear. I would love for you to create your own movie. We need fresh eyes to this story. That statement was so important for me.
DRE: It must have been a very big change from making Intacto.
Juan: Yes but it was good. Of course, the budget was higher but we didnt lose the sense of a guerilla movie because to shoot in the emptiness of London, you need to do it in an independent way. You cant ask for permission because permissions take months and you are in a real rush. Also I think its good for this concept to bring this sense of fresh and spontaneous shooting. I work with concepts, which is an idea that justifies every image you are going to see. At the end of the day, no matter what the budget is, youre telling a story.
DRE: If there is a 28 Months Later would you want to be involved?
Juan: I dont think so. Its amazing that everyones talking about 28 Months Later.
DRE: Im already thinking about 28 Years Later.
Juan: [laughs] I understand why everybody is doing that, because now that one sequel is done, everybodys expecting another. That means that the story works, which is fantastic.
DRE: How was working with Alejandro Jodorowsky on the short film Psicotaxi?
Juan: Alejandro is amazing. Hes the wisdom. Hes giving light to his world. I remember why I shot that. I had read one of his books, The Dance of Reality, which is a biography but fictional as well. I thought, This man is fantastic. Hes so wise. He makes movies, hes a comic book writer, hes a screenwriter. I thought it would be great to have an encounter with him and I shot the encounter. The idea was to have therapy driving around together in the car in Paris. When I shot that, he made a fast therapy in the taxi with me and it was really fun. It was an excuse to show this man and his fantastic thoughts to the world.
DRE: I read that Disney has the remake rights to Intacto.
Juan: Yes. The last thing that I knew, from about two years ago, was that there was a screenplay. I dont know anything else but I am keen to know whats going on with that remake.
DRE: Would you be interested in being involved?
Juan: No. I understood when Danny offered 28 Weeks Later to somebody else because when you create a personal story, it would be hard to imagine the next chapter. It is very generous if you give people the opportunity to create something with your connection.
DRE: I read that it was your dad who got you into movies.
Juan: Yes, he gave me a Super-8 camera when I was young.
DRE: Was he the one who took you to see a lot of movies in the theaters?
Juan: It was my mother in particular who was always talking to me about the movies. But with the camera it is a funny story because I made my first movie when I was 16 years old in London. I went there with my camera and I shot a documentary. It was very inspirational.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
joiew:
Nice interview and I'm looking forward to getting infected with the Rage myself. Hopefully it is as good as the first 
annisa:
this is one of my favorite films..ever