20 Movies You Weren't Expecting To Make You Cry
18. 28 Years Later
As Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) says in this long-awaited threequel, "There are many different kinds of death; some better than others." The 28 Days Later franchise has generally featured brutal zombie deaths, yet the greatest death within this one was something that's painfully relatable for many of us: the death of a parent.
28 Years Later was misleadingly marketed, which goes a long way to explaining why it was so divisive. The trailers sold a dark, zombie-heavy post-apocalyptic bloodbath, and yet, it ultimately ended up being more of a coming-of-age road trip movie in which young Spike (Alfie Williams) has to learn to survive in post-apocalyptic Britain.
The bulk of the story is Spike taking his ill mother Isla (Jodie Comer) to see a former doctor on the zombie-infested mainland. Once they reach the lodging of Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), he is able to examine her and confirms that she has cancer. With the condition now advanced, her life is beyond recovery.
In a beautifully-executed scene that no doubt broke the vast majority of viewers, after sharing a final moment with her son, Isla allows herself to be euthanized peacefully by Dr. Kelson. 28 Years Later is not without its issues, and it never came close to living up to those amazing trailers, but this sequence was practically flawless, and Spike's acceptance of his mother's mortality was an excellent way to conclude his journey.