Consequently, all these years after its release, debates around donnie darkos true meaning rage on. The film follows the adventures of the troubled titular character as he seeks to find the meaning behind his doomsdayrelated visions. Yes it has a deep philosophical meaning, and it points at the superficiality of everyday society. Donnie darko is therefore destructing his projection of frank, with which the darkest and bestial characters of his unconscious are associated, and he is at the same time a creator therefore god. Donnie darko is a crazy film about donnie, a young fellow who ends up being in the centre of a story full of bizarre happenings. The film stars jake gyllenhaal, from october sky, as donnie darko, a high school student whose test scores are intimidating, whose pose is to be likable and sardonic at once, and who occasionally forgets to take his medication, for unspecified but possibly alarming reasons. An unconventional film donnie darko is a film the viewing experience of which put me in a deep state of confusion and cerebral contemplation as to what conspired, yet in all its hazy confusion and mindfulness, a scifi nerd inside me was extremely satiated at the entire two hours and fourteen minutes spent. The ending of donnie darko is still great, 16 years later. Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Drew barrymore, who plays teacher karen pomeroy, also lent her support to the project as executive producer. How ever that isnt really what the films about even though its mentioned a couple of times, the film is about donnie darko jake gyllenhall a troubled boy with. A plane engine so happens to crash on donnies room, but he is gone with frank which is why his life is saved realizing that his life should have ended then, donnie finds secrets of physics and experiments things related to.
It appears many times during the film in a dream at a dinner table and at the end of the film attacking a coffin. However, for that very precise reason, i see beauty in its ambiguity. Donnie encounters frank one evening after dinner, another time one night at the movie theater, and again on. The killing moon by echo and the bunnymen under blue moon i saw you i read this as meaning nighttime. In summary, the movie accounts a natural phenomenon, a wormhole and the formation of a parallel universe, through the eyes of the most signifcantly affected human figure involved, donnie darko.
The book is a fictional one but some of the pages were in the film s web site and included into the directors cut version of the movie. The film also makes statements about the sociopolitical and. When i try to talk to a friend or family member about the movie donnie darko, i get a funny look. If you ask around, you will realize you are not the only person that had trouble comprehending the ending of the film donnie darko. When elizabeth darko maggie gyllenhaal is sleeping on the recliner, there is a stuffed rabbit next to her. Most people either havent seen the 2001 cult hit or they did see it and they claim to have no idea what the movie means. It stars jake gyllenhaal, jena malone, maggie gyllenhaal, drew barrymore, mary mcdonnell, katharine ross, patrick swayze, noah wyle, stu stone, daveigh chase and james duval. Apr 04, 2017 donnie darko is a portalin the film s own terminologyinto 1988 america, a time roiling with the tensions between the reagan era and its children, the reformed neoliberals and social progressives who would go on to elect bill clinton four years later. Donnie darko is a troubled adolescent whos life is saved when a giant bunny rabbit orders him to follow him one night. By virtue of some sort of cosmic law, donnie is set into motion on a path to restore the extremely fragic, turbulent tangent universe back to the normal primary universe. The rest of the darkos are pretty normal and have a regular life. Donnie darko can be interpreted on a number of levels, and each works independently and stands on its own, but i believe it was meant to be a contemplation of several different levels at the same time or at least is meant to keep you wondering which is the reality. How ever that isnt really what the films about even though its mentioned a couple of times, the film is about donnie darko jake gyllenhall a troubled boy with mental issues despite him being very bright for his age.
Donnie darko is a hybrid film and oscillates between horror flick and science fiction masterpiece, with a bit of your typical 80s highschool movie and newage religion thrown in. Thank the giant talking rabbit for this interpretation, which is a valid way to watch the movie. As gretchen waits for the school bus, a volkswagen rabbit quickly passes in front of her. Apr 19, 2016 the twisted american symbolism dispersed here and there highlights donnies lack of fulfillment despite living in what appears to embody the american dream. Everything you were afraid to ask about donnie darko. Donnie darko is the protagonist and central character, who was a troubled teen living in middlesex, virginia during the events of the movie. As far as film trajectories go, donnie darko followed one of the strangest. In the films timeline, this glitch occurs shortly before the jet engine crashes.
Jay donnie darko is, on its most basic level, a film that is homage to 80s culture. Donnie darko is a film so dense with scientifically and thematically rich ideas, only undermined by the constraint of its close to 140 minute runtime. The scene begins with a sinister yet ghostly voice that urges donnie to wake up, though its particular sound implicitly suggests that its owner is some kind of entity who isnt entirely within the realms of. Other than that, the only part in the primary universe is the very endfom when donnies laughing in bed and the airplane ending crushes him to the final frame of. The majority of meaning in this film is symbolic and not presented literally. As the movie progresses through the 28 days in which it takes place, donnie s life becomes more and more bizzare. His parents, rose and eddie mary mcdonnell and holmes osborne and his sisters, elizabeth and samantha maggie gyllenhall and daveigh chase. Donnie darko the head over heels sequence zacharyhayness. As the movie progresses through the 28 days in which it takes place, donnies life becomes more and more bizzare. A plane engine so happens to crash on donnie s room, but he is gone with frank which is why his life is saved realizing that his life should have ended then, donnie finds secrets of physics and experiments things related to. Sign up to our email newsletter for updates on new videos, fun film trivia, news. But by the end of the film, there are some questions that. I always felt this film works better as a darkly humorous drama about a young man tangling with the questions that will come to define his life the idea of dying alone and death, sexuality, whether or not we control our destinies, his fear of an uncertain future, and his.
If you disagree with my interpretation please be polite and state your. The film s first line of dialogue is im voting for dukakis, announced. Starting in october 2 of 1988, donnie is visited by frank, a mysterious being warning of impending doom. The camera rotates and pulls back as the three walk into school in slowmotion, establishing it as a major setting in the film. Donnie darko is a film that leaves a lot of questions unanswered, which was arguably the intention of writer and director richard kelly. Darko expects to start the clock in reverse, he has two ways.
Oct 26, 2001 the film stars jake gyllenhaal, from october sky, as donnie darko, a high school student whose test scores are intimidating, whose pose is to be likable and sardonic at once, and who occasionally forgets to take his medication, for unspecified but possibly alarming reasons. W riterdirector richard kellys debut feature, the lynchian donnie darko, is a tale of adolescent angst ripe with enigmatic scifi underpinnings. So what differentiates it with modern products that pay homage to the 80s. The film also makes statements about the sociopolitical and cultural. After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes. Explaining the end of donnie darko, the many implications of.
Donnie darko is a 2001 psychological thriller film written and directed by richard kelly, and starring jake gyllenhaal, jena malone, mary mcdonnell, and patrick swayze. Then again, nothing is conventional about the story of a troubled teen trying to make sense of a mysterious man in a. Donnie darko 2001,richard kelly is set in america during a election time for michael s. Yes, we also acknowledge donnie darko is quite complicated, not to mention intriguing, thanks to richard kellys directorial genius. Ive watched donnie darko many times, yet i always feel like im missing something important when drew barrymores character brings up cellar door karen pommeroy. Ultimately, donnie darko closed the wormhole by ensuring the artifacts passage through it, back to the primary universe which would seem to be the second time it happened, but again, time travel presents paradoxes. In doing so, the jet engine was sent back hurdling toward the darkos house, except this time donnie knew it was coming. Donnie darko can be interpreted on a number of levels, and each works independently and stands on its own, but i.
Donnie darko goes that extra mile for subtle clues. Mar 31, 2017 as far as film trajectories go, donnie darko followed one of the strangest. Apr, 2018 consequently, all these years after its release, debates around donnie darko s true meaning rage on. This complete analysis of the film will dive into the meaning of donnie darko. If you have a question please ask below and i will get back to you as soon as possible. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by movie quotes. Regardless of whether kellys titular protagonist jake gyllenhaal is seemingly deranged or merely on the brink of saving humanity from itself, his timewarping fantasies become startling metaphors for confused teenage male development. Head over heels begins to play and we hear donnie darko open the school bus door and watch him jump out of the back with his two friends. Donnie darko is an enigmatic film, open to any kind of explanation. Donnie encounters frank one evening after dinner, another time one night at the movie theater, and again on halloween night.
In the excellent film sexy beast we see a figure dressed in a rabbit outfit similar to the one from donnie darko and i wanted to know the significance of this. Donnie darko jake gyllenhall is a troubled teenager in suburban maryland. Donnie darko is an incredibly deep and multilayered film about life, death, self sacrifice, and the nature of time and reality. The time warp happened over donnies house where the plane was flying. The meaning of the film is carefully veiled by the creators and varies depending on the genre belonging chosen by the viewer. Figuring everything about this incredible film requires some research and extracurricular knowledge. This is without spoiling the plot of the picture donnie darko. The second scene in the film, it is the one where frank first appears, though the interaction between donnie and he is rather minimal. Darko, 26yearold writerdirector richard kellys first film, starring jake. The twisted american symbolism dispersed here and there highlights donnies lack of fulfillment despite living in what appears to embody the american dream. A schizophrenic with a history of violence, he has recently stopped taking his medication and as a result is sleepwalking. Then again, nothing is conventional about the story of a troubled teen. This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the english language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that cellar door is the most beautiful.
I really dislike the literal interpretation of the events of donnie darko that it all really is time travel and etc. Thinks scorsese and kubrick are the kings of cinema, but pt anderson and david fincher are the dashing young princes. What are the meanings of the following specific symbols in. With jake gyllenhaal, jena malone, mary mcdonnell, holmes osborne. When frank wakes donnie up and instructs him to meet him outside, we see an upsidedown american flag on donnies ceiling, and when he walks past his sleeping father on the couch, the tv is still on, and the eerie sound of a. His sister, maggie gyllenhaal, plays his sister in the film elizabeth darko. The real meaning behind donnie darko c dubbs official. Decoding donnie darko esoteric analysis by jay dyer of jay donnie darko is, on its most basic level, a film that is homage to 80s culture.
Donnie darko is a 2001 american science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed. I want to spend this piece discussing some of the thematic meaning of the film. Donnie darko was the first feature film from writer and director richard kelly. Donnie darko is a 2001 american science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by richard kelly. One cant really appreciate the movie by watching it once. In the presentday timeline of the film, the result of donnie following franks instructions is violence, death, and catastrophe. See more ideas about donnie darko, donnie darko quotes and donnie darko tattoo. If donnie would have been in bed the 1st night then the tangeant would have still existed wout a chosen one to. All these years after its release, debates around donnie darkos true meaning rage on. Get the whole movie explained in detail including who frank is and what happens at the end of the film.
See more ideas about donnie darko, donnie darko frank and donnie darko tattoo. Separating donnie darkos deeper meaning from its surfacelevel. Sign up to our email newsletter for updates on new videos, fun film trivia, news on giveaways. The explanation heavily revolves around the book donnie gets from his teacher, the philosophy of time travel written by roberta sparrow grandma death. Donnie darko is a portalin the film s own terminologyinto 1988 america, a time roiling with the tensions between the reagan era and its children, the reformed neoliberals and social progressives who would go on to elect bill clinton four years later. The main debate that most donnie darko uberfans have is whether or not the very beginning of the movie, where donnie wakes up on the mountain trail, is part of the tu or the pu. This is going to be long so prepare yourself i hope this helps you understand more donnie darko. In donnie darko, donnie ultimately makes a similar sacrifice. Some elements can be adequately explained, while others are ambiguous and ripe for interpretation.