Donnie Darko

[sintax321]

Spoilers if you haven't seen this movie don't read.













I just watched this movie and I want to make sure i understand it all. So The reason every thing was messed up was becasue that rabbit saved his life casusing everything to get out of wack. The fact ath in the end he stayed in his room and was crushed by the jet engine casued everything to be right again. Was it the fact that the rabbit changed Donnie's future the reason every thing got messed up. Some one who saw this movie please help me inderstand it. Normaly i get screwd movies like this but his time i'm a little confused

[Kajinku]

First of all, I don't think you're supposed to understand the movie 100%.
But, like you, I thought a long time about the movie after watching it. This is what I think and still don't get:

[a] Like you said, the bunny saved Donnie, but in two ways:
1) He saved him the first time when the plane incident happened.
2) He sort of saved Donnie from his emotional problems in the end of the movie. Donnie is really afraid of one particular thing: everybody dies alone. He doesn't want to be alone, especially not when he's going to die. So, after his girlfriend gets hit by a car (which was driven by Frank, the giant bunny), Donnie is happy. He's not dying alone anymore. When everything gets back to normal, just before the plane incident in the end, Donnie laughs in his bed. He knows he's going to die, but he's not afraid. He's not alone, thanks to Frank, the bunny. The whole time-travelling thing makes sense when you pay close attention.

[b] What I still don't get:
1) What's about that Chinese girl that shouts "shut up!" all the time? She keeps a secret Donnie diary or something, but I didn't get the meaning of all this.
2) "Cellar Door", the two most beautiful words in the universe. This was actually written by J.R.R. Tolkien, writer of the "Lord of the Ring" books. I think this has something to do with the time-travelling gates, but I'm not sure.
3) Grandma Death has a very mysterious character... don't get it 100% either. How? Why?

Donnie Darko is one of the most special movies of 2002. I love it, even if I don't get the story perfectly. :)

I hope this was helpful... if anyone understands more, please, do clarrify...

[Kajinku]

Ah, another good detail is... this:

Donnie: "Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?"
Frank: "Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?"

=> I think I got this part. This indicates that Donnie is actually already dead. Not in *that* moment, but it means that he will eventually die in a short time. In other words, Donnie's future is, well, being dead. Just like Frank's future, who was shot by Donnie in the eye...

I did quite some thinking after watching this movie and forgot about it afterwards. But now that you started this thread, it jumped back in my mind. :)

[thoriphes]

i saw it twice and am still a bit confused, more in a bit as i go to class...

[TOOL]

i really liked that movie...i'll get it on DVD for sure but i'm too tired to even analyse a movie like that...plus it was a while back that i saw it...if you haven't checked the homepage out... www.donniedarko.com is a really cool site made with Flash and i really like how it interacts with the user...very cool :A+:

[TOOL]

oh and i forgot...the song they play at the end of the film is cool too :) Gary Jules - Mad World...a bit different to what i listen to but blargh!!!! back to work for me...*insert student smiley*

[fester8542]

Sorry to dig up such an old thread but I figured I would search on this topic before I posted a new one.

I saw this twisted arse movie last night and I am still getting over it. I dont hink I fully understand it but I cant seem to stop thinking about it. I never even heard of it before but it was on HBO and it sounded inticing. It was....

Excuse me I need to go contemplate life some more :thumb:

[TheOrangeOne]

well DD fans may find this interesting: http://www.ruinedeye.com/cd/

[senocular]

ah, good call on that link TheOrangeOne :)

[TheOrangeOne]

found this as well:
Author: sicmantis
Date: 12-23-02 20:57

for a start "deux es machina"means the machine from god....it signifies a moment in a film or play when the main character is at a point when all hope is lost and a miracle will come and save them (read misery by stephen king...its all in there)
Okay here's what i interpreted from that book...the history of time travel by roberta sparrow (you can find this at ... http://www.ruinedeye.com/cd/time1.htm)
i think that donnie was chosen as the main char, his mission is to guide the jet engine back into it's rightful place. i.e he was meant to be smooshed by it but he escaped his fate by being lured out his house by frank cos frank wanted him to see all he had to show him. NB i dont htink the being "Frank" was actually the kid that got killed...i reckon that that [filk]ed up bunny was just an image created by a bigger force cos the image of frank is significant to donnie.
okay so this "Frank" shows donnie the kittie **** duneon, the "otherside" and all that jizz (yes jiz, you heard me right the first time). The purpose of this alittle later keep reading.... Donnie eventually works out the time continuum thing and realises that there'smore after death (i dont know if this is a trick or not to make donnie unafraid of suicide cos this being has to get him to die as it states in the book that the ultimate pupose of the living receiver (Donnie) is to guide the object (Jet Engine) back to its meantful place. this means donnie has to die......)
Okay and the ppl that were affected by donnie (there's a term for these...the manipulated living) will try and guide the living receiver (donnie) or hinder him. eg that stupid anal timeline teacher or gretchin who tried to help. (Grethchin is technically a manipulated dead tho as she died in same time frame as frank...these are more powerful than manipulated living.)
anyway, the story basically ends with donnie commiting suicide in an extreme way...he's a troubled teen and the events that happened in the tangent univers (the [filk]ed up one with frank) make him seem to want death more. BUT...in dying and returning the aftefact to its rightful place, donnie "takes the moments of pain and replaces them with happiness" there is no kitie **** dungeon, that "Chut uo" gal dont seem so [filk]ed up, frank is alive and so is gretchin. etc, etc.

one other thing i noticed......Franks eye is all [filk]ed up cos donnie shot him in it, but when u watch the scene where donnie stabe frank, he DEFINATLY stabs him in that same eye and it all distorts. coincidence....? i think not.
hope this post made NO sense whatsoever lol ^_^

[thoriphes]

hm...interesting. i'll read it later. more in a bit as i go to a meeting...

[RadioactveChimp]

alright so i'm not sure how old this thread is now, but I just watched the movie and loved it! but didn't fully understand it as everyone else hehe. ok so i think i undertand why donnie had to die but i didn't get the whole end of the world thing. and cansomeone pleeeease explain the whole Grandma Death character!!!


-Dean

[Kitiara]

Christ. I love this film, it's one of my favourites. But it took me a good three viewings to begin to work out what on earth was going on. :P

I think... Grandma Death was a teacher at Donnie's school. She came up with a theory of time travel and wrote a book about it. This theory covers what is happening to Donnie, explaining about the splintered universe, manipulated dead etc. I'm not sure what made her go crazy. But now she's waiting for a letter, and keeps checking her mailbox. Donnie figures out that she's waiting for a letter from him, and...

Oh I give up. I can't explain it. :)

[talkshowhost]

Yeah, amazing film...
I found this site quite helpful:

http://www.tonystuff.co.uk/darko-spoilers.htm

[Laslett]

Christ. I love this film, it's one of my favourites. But it took me a good three viewings to begin to work out what on earth was going on. :P

I think... Grandma Death was a teacher at Donnie's school. She came up with a theory of time travel and wrote a book about it. This theory covers what is happening to Donnie, explaining about the splintered universe, manipulated dead etc. I'm not sure what made her go crazy. But now she's waiting for a letter, and keeps checking her mailbox. Donnie figures out that she's waiting for a letter from him, and...

Oh I give up. I can't explain it. :)

Ithink with this film you have to float the ideas and concepts of time travel up in your head without coming out with a definite answer. If you think too much about it you get lost but if you float the ideas its all crystal clear

[gonzales]

i think the most overlooked aspect of this film is that donnie proves the existance of god.

[kirupa]

Donnie Darko is a really great movie! I've seen it twice, and it is still confusing. I'll chew through some of the links you all provided later :ninja:

[trundrumbalind]

Oh my GOD!!! I know a lot of people will hate me for saying this but that movie SUCKS!!!

It's just the most unbelievably pretentious movie ever made. Everyone who loves it just bangs on about how profound it is.

The point is--it doesn't make any sense but everyone just has their own idea of what they saw because no-one really wants to ADMIT that they don't get it.

I KNOW I'll get slated for saying this because none of these people realise it but PLEASE, try and see past the cool, stoner-inspiring characters, the soundtrack and the fact that these days, if everyone else says a movie is good, that you feel you have to like it too.

[gonzales]

man, thats too bad you feel that way, but i can explain exactly what that movie means to me citing specific parts of the dialogue and points in the plot.

[trundrumbalind]

i can explain exactly what that movie means to me Yes, that's the point--everyone just comes up with their own idea of what it means and the writer/director can sit back knowing that he's released half a movie and it doesn't matter because most of the viewers will just finish it for him.

Although Matt, I must say that you responded really nicely and that gives me the impression that you know what you're talking about and although I hate the movie, it brings other people joy to come up with their own ideas which can only be a good thing. Personally, I'd pick Cannonball Run 2 over it any day!

[garyzero]

I agree, I bought it on DVD and was very dissapointed in it. Haven't watched it a second time though. Last time I believe the hype. Same goes for Memento, another hyped but lacking film.

[trundrumbalind]

I think we're both basically in the same boat except that I thought Memento was awesome. It wasn't up it's own arse like DD, the actors were likable, the whole "backwards-style" of the movie impressed me the whole way through and it sort of "felt good" to understand it.

It's an actual movie y'see whereas DD is just a series of stupid events that so many people feel that they have to rearrange and make it make sense.

Check Amazon.co.uk for reviews of DD--they prove my point.