Donnie Darko Forum

Donnie Darko

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Ah! It finally makes sense. =D

I don't think the whole God aspect should be ignored, even if you're an atheist. I'm an atheist too, Kelvin, but it's a movie, and this scenario makes sense for God to exist. For example: the science teacher tells him that a portal couldn't willfully be made, that it would be an act of God. Then Frank opens a portal in a movie theater. Also, a deleted scene depicting the first time that Frank and Donnie meet has Frank saying, "God loves his children. God loves you."

>>By Then (Tuesday, 11 Feb 2003 12:00)

I think the fact that almost everyone's got a different intrepretation of the movie is what makes it so great.

IMHO, free-will and fate are only seperate when you seperate them with your mind. Just like alot of dualistic concepts in the world (good and evil)

Shakespear once said that "There no good or evil. It's only when we think that we make it so."

In the end, Donnie breaths a sigh of relief, laughs, and has a smile on his face. "...because there's so much left to look forwards too." I guess my interepretation was that all was well, and he was content with his life. Destiny or free-will regardless, this was how things turned out.

If you really think about life, it doesn't matter if it's free-will or fate, those concepts are only in our heads. And our minds aren't the limit on the infinite :-)

Good discussion about this awesome movie :-)

>>By Andrew C (Tuesday, 11 Feb 2003 14:22)

Donnie was laughing at the end for one of two reasons.
One of them was because he thought it might have all been a dream and i forget the other reason. A lot of stuff is explained when you watch the movie with commentary on. I also want to say that bishop explained the movie perfectly imo. After reading that post it all fit together. Although I don't think that donnie had to die in the primary world to save the universe. the only thing that was needed to save the universe was for the donnie in the other dimension to live and cause the engine to fall. In the commentary it explains that when donnie is laughing in bed at the end. frank is outside in his car dropping donnie's sister home. he beeps his horn to say "hey donnie wake up, we did it" but donnie is too late to move and he gets crushed.

>>By Seraphim (Tuesday, 11 Feb 2003 16:15)

AAAAAH!!!! DID WE ALL JUST DECIDE TO WATCH HALF THE MOVIE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! AND LIKE, NOT VISIT THE SITE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Okay, the government keeps it a secret because the jet engine is found to be from a jet whose path does not fly anywhere REMOTELY near Donnie's house, hence making it entirely impossible for it to have fallen there. Guess where the jet engine falls off of? THE PLANE HIS MOM AND SISTER ARE ON, YOU SEE IT FALL!!!!! It doesn't come from a junkyard, he doesn't move anything anywhere, it falls through the crazyass tear in the time-space continuum that is the 4th dimension. Now in order to fix that rift and avoid everyone being killed, he's gotta be killed because it's meant to happen and such. His purpose is to make that jet engine fall, 'cause he didn't die and caused allllll sorts of problems. Crimety I'm gone for five seconds and we have people asking where the jet engine came from... Bishop, Unconfused, By and By, where have you folks BEEN?! LoL

>>By Kate (Tuesday, 11 Feb 2003 23:45)

Oh and if you could be so kind, it ISN'T SPELLED DONNY, IT SAYS DONNIE ALL OVER THE SITE!!!

>>By Kate (Tuesday, 11 Feb 2003 23:46)

Seraphim, if Donnie had not died, then all the events that had taken place in the Tangent Universe would have taken place in the Primary Universe. Donnie's death was seemingly the only way to prevent all that had taken place from happening. Now, this can be argued, but I think Donnie had to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the universe. Frank may have been honking to warn Donnie that the engine was about to crush him, but only Donnie had the deepest of understanding at this point, besides perhaps Sparrow, and he knew what had to be done.

Kate, sorry, I was gonna reply to some of the posts this morning, but I didn't want to run late to school.

>>By and by (Wednesday, 12 Feb 2003 02:42)

yup yup.....ok.....

Bishop...... I see that we disagree....but lemme answer the questions u asked with my theory....
- God did it to teach people that 1 person can make the difference. Even if it never happened....they remember it a little when they wake up..the book said that they would not remember it clearly but it would be like a dream...so i believe they would learn from it.
- I believe Donnie DID benifit from it... at the end think he was glad that he sacrificed himself. If u notice the relationships between Donnie and the characters in the moive, the relationships grow. In the end Donnie was very much closer to his Family and got a girlfriend. This would let Donnie be happy in the afterlife, if this didn't happen he would be alone all his life, and wouldn't be content when he died. He died feeling that he accomplished something good.....

Good point Then...i like the quote u found..

I think i will watch it with commentary..thanks Seraphim. And thank for the info on why he was laffing.

LOL kate....

Comments? New Info? Please?

>>By Kelvin (Wednesday, 12 Feb 2003 08:23)

KELVIN - Stop reducing everything to dogma. Enjoy the movie. Christianity will not make you it enjoy it more or understand it better. Things aren't that simple. This movie is a mobius strip; it defies perfect understanding. Everything that appears perfectly circular or cyclical in the movie is a lie, all these "repeated" details have been slightly modified if you stop and think about them. That's what is so intriguing. When Donnie first meets Frank and walks out of the house, we get a shot approaching the front door (ostensibly through Donnie's eyes or, it is physically possible though not likely, shot from in front of Donnie), the point is we can't see Donnie. The camera then pans up, and while moving, shows us the candelabra. When it moves back down the door is open and we see Donnie walking through it. He could not possibly have walked through the camera, its a trick of the eye, like a mobius strip, it defies the very basis of perfect reasoning or understanding. The website is for people with very high blood pressure who cannot stop to think themselves. It is not the answer by any means. All of you guys glued to the website or whatever, that stuff is not in the movie so it is IRRELEVANT. You're like my little brother who reads all the bullshit Star Wars books that have nothing to do with the real deal and then pretends to know what's going on. Watch the movie, read books, think about the ways the director purposely intrudes into his own work. He is there, winking at us all the way. What does Donnie say at the end, oh right: "Deus ex machina." Look it up if you're not sure that this is Portuguese.

>>By McKenzie (Thursday, 13 Feb 2003 10:58)

It's Latin.

>>By Then (Thursday, 13 Feb 2003 11:49)

Is Gretchen one of the manipulated dead, cos it says so on the official website, in the notes section.

>>By Mat (Thursday, 13 Feb 2003 13:14)

ummmm....Mckenzie.....wtf u talking about dude?? I dun get the points u are trying to make dude.....so what if the director plays camera tricks....and i dun even go to the website so i dunno about that...... wut is ure theory dude? believe me i enjoyed the movie, and i am not using the destiny theory simpley because of my own religion...Destiny IS a big question in the entire movie...if u can't see that then i am sorry, please post your theory so we can all better understand wut u have just said in your previous post, and we already covered "Dues Ex Machina"

>>By Kelvin (Friday, 14 Feb 2003 05:31)

so far McKenzie--ya got me lost too--but---I am listening so......? please clarify what you are saying------ I do feel obligated to say that art (and films like this are art to a movie geekette like me) art is not just a product of the artist but also a product of the veiwer(s) once it leaves the artist's hand so it is OK for the veiwer to bring their personal mythology/beliefs into play when discussing it. This film is a good example because it doesn't answer nearly so many questions as it invites. That is part of the fun as far as I am concerned. I think this film challenges us to compare what we think of as TRUTH to what we know of as reality in an even more subtle and profound way than films such as say, Memento (which I also loved) peace out:)

>>By inanna (Friday, 14 Feb 2003 10:24)

mabye frank didn't want to die so he came back just to save his own a$$.just kidding

>>By skinny (Friday, 14 Feb 2003 11:19)

Hahaha. Good one, Skinny.

>>By Then (Friday, 14 Feb 2003 11:49)

.....maybe.....just maybe.....

>>By Kelvin (Friday, 14 Feb 2003 18:14)

Is there a reason why the movie is set in 1988? Why that of all years? Is there any significance to that year that I am unaware of?

>>By Mark (Saturday, 15 Feb 2003 23:05)

Just watched Donnie Darko last night.
Wow! Goes straight onto my top 5 list!

Has anyone else noticed the guy in red???
Hes watching when Donnie first tries to kiss Gretchen and then the same guy appears to be standing outside the party with a torch?
Any thoughts?

Personally I think Donnie laughs at the end because he remembers everything (he is the living reciever after all) and feels that he has 'won'. His overwhelming fear of the end of the world is no longer so he lays back and smiles, accepting his fate and knowing that everyone else is safe.

>>By Suspiria (Sunday, 16 Feb 2003 02:02)

If you watch the deleted scenes on the DVD, Richard Kelly comments that the guy in red is actually a guy from the FAA (I think?). They're following Donnie because some engine from who knows where fell on his house and they're trying to figure out what is up.

>>By Alora (Sunday, 16 Feb 2003 02:31)

I agree. His purpose was to make the jet engine fall. I just can't figure out why he's laughing at the end, before it falls...

>>By btucks (Sunday, 16 Feb 2003 19:05)

1988, with those numbers added up, that frank was saying, = to 88

>>By btucks (Sunday, 16 Feb 2003 19:05)

yeah the guy in red was From FAA keeping an eye out....thats kool btucks thank for the tid bit

>>By Kelvin (Monday, 17 Feb 2003 11:39)

I've enjoyed reading all of your thoughts on this film. Thanks for giving me some new ideas to think about. If I can add anything myself, it is that you shouldn't try to explain every last detail of the film. I agree with whoever it was who said that a piece of filmaking art (which this most certainly is) is meant to be open to interpretation. The beauty of a film like this is that there are some plot lines and areas of the story that don't neatly tie up at the end. While some things can be worked out for certain, (alternate universes and so on), each of us that choose to think about the film will have different opinions about the relevance of other parts. If there was a 'Definite' right answer to every part of the film and the director made it public, we wouldn't be able to have discussions like this...
Finally, for anyone who enjoyed the mood, convoluted plot, soundtrack and post-film discussion of Donnie Darko, you need to see Mullholland Drive. It'll blow your mind.

>>By jonnyT (Tuesday, 18 Feb 2003 14:43)

Party People,
Innana, I agree with you completely. Reader-Response theory always applies to art; it is the reader or viewer who takes a lifeless text or series of moving pictures and gives them new life. All I was saying, however, is that approaching Donnie Darko through the single-minded lens of Christian dogma will not bear fruit. This movie cannot be fully reduced, that's why this web page exists. Nobody can pare down what's going on in this movie at all times, not even the director can "explain" what the sum of so many brilliant scenes, characters, sounds, songs, images, motifs, etc mean. My main theory is that there is no unifying theory to explain this movie. Think of it as a tangle of threads: in certain scenes, certain threads surface, but just because one might be hidden for a while, it hasn't gone away. To me, a very interesting trend in Donnie Darko is related to creation, especially in terms of art. The director intrudes on the movie a number of times in subtle ways, but he is there, like a god of sorts, controlling the players, forcing them to march through what Donnie calls "God's channel." Deus ex machina is a reference to the intrusion of an author or moviemaker or whatever into their creation in order to tie up loose ends, to make everything fit. On one level, it appears that the end does tie up all the loose ends, that a god truly has cleaned things up and the story is circular and completely self-contained. But in truth, things aren't that simple. Like I said, its a mobius strip. i'm getting very tired of typing, sorry. I'm interested in what you guys have to say, it's a movie worthy of scrutiny.
McKenzie
PS THEN, you didn't catch my joke. It was an ironic statement. Thank you

>>By McKenzie (Wednesday, 19 Feb 2003 03:58)

hmmmm :) McKenzie, I think we kind of agree with eachother---actually, I think that the reason why Donny is laughing at the end is because of the whole existentialist joke that life can be. Definately there isn't one unifying theme but if Joe Campbell (and Chris Carter) were correct then the truth is out there :) just in a lot of different forms/versions. With no intention to offend I think that religion is kind of like language---one person has their way of saying something and one person another but there are also common truths. LOL--- you can have a quarter pounder or a royal with cheese but it is still a burger. OK, I'm being silly and it's more complicated than that but you get my meaning. Mulhullond Drive was awsome Johnny T:) I was so proud of myself that I figured out most of a Lynch film--love em, grokk em but don't always really understand em-----thanx for posting ya'll it's getting interesting again

>>By inanna (Wednesday, 19 Feb 2003 10:01)

Well, sorry. It's kind of difficult to pick up on irony through text. Deus Ex Machina doesn't refer to a director's contrivance of what happens in the film. It's a character or single event that turns the whole tide of the movie, just when everything is going a seemingly certain way. That's the actual definition, but everything's open to interpretation.

>>By Then (Wednesday, 19 Feb 2003 11:53)

Um, sorry, no. Deus ex machina means God from the machine and it refers to a trick that Greek playwrights would employ to tie up all the crazy plotlines at the end of their plays. Literally, a god, like Apollo or whatever, would come down from the heavens and tack an ending on to all the disparate plots. He would inexplicably kill some characters, force other characters to do things, cast spells, whatever. The point is that a deus ex machina is like this patch that an artist sews on to the ending of his or her work to have it "all make sense" and all be palatable. Since Greek theater, I'm sorry to say, we've realized that a deus ex machina is bullshit, and not good art, and nobody likes it. Like Johnny T says, you can't make this movie into a neat little package. Respect its ambiguity.

>>By McKenzie (Wednesday, 19 Feb 2003 20:51)

I really have nothing to add at this point, I'm just hopping on to say hello and to keep up with this discussion. I get payed on Friday, and I'm going to go out and buy the DD DVD. Maybe by then I can add something new.

I had forgotten about the man in red. I don't think he was from the FAA. I think that he was a physical manifestation of god, and he was making sure that Donnie didn't get too attached to his girlfriend. (The first time he showed up, Donnie was about to make a move, the second time he showed up just after Donnie got jiggy with it).

Just kidding.......................or am I.

>>By Bishop (Thursday, 20 Feb 2003 06:51)

LOL Bishop, welcome back -------everything is a manifestation of God hahahha-----plus wasn't anyone else out there just glad that Donnie at least got laid before he had to die:) Check out the chain of images at the end of the movie while watching that DVD and let me know what ya think......peace, love and poppy seeds

>>By inanna (Thursday, 20 Feb 2003 09:50)

I just said what you've just said, in a nutshell, McKenzie. Knowing Latin, I was pretty sure what Deus Ex Machina literally meant, but thanks anyway for all of the extra info on the origin.

>>By Then (Thursday, 20 Feb 2003 11:48)

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