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Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko theatrical poster
Directed by Richard Kelly
Produced by Adam Fields
Nancy Juvonen
Sean McKittrick
Written by Richard Kelly
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal
Jena Malone
Drew Barrymore
Patrick Swayze
James Duval
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Music by Michael Andrews
Distributed by Newmarket Films
Release date(s) January 19, 2001 (Sundance Film Festival)
October 28, 2001 (USA)
Running time 113 min.,
133 min. (director's cut)
Country USA
Language English
Budget $ 4.5 million
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Donnie Darko is a 2001 feature film, the first by writer and director Richard Kelly. Set in 1988, the movie is a psychological thriller/science fiction film about a boy named Donnie Darko who, after narrowly escaping death, has visions of an eerie, anthropomorphic rabbit named Frank who predicts when the world will end. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The film did not perform well in theaters but has become a cult hit since its release on home video. In the United Kingdom, it sold moderately well on DVD, before being reissued in a budget edition with no director's commentary or other extras, where it reached No. 1 in the DVD sales chart.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Plot

Template:Spoiler

The plot of Donnie Darko deals with time travel, comic, existential, and nihilistic themes. It includes paradoxes that are never fully explained. As such, multiple interpretations exist. The film parallels The Last Temptation of Christ with Donnie's character choosing to sacrifice himself for the world.

The film is set in 1988, in Middlesex, Virginia during a 1988 presidential election period. In the middle of the night, on October 2, Donnie is awoken from his sleep by a strange voice and led outside of his house where he converses with a demonic-looking, man-sized rabbit named Frank. Frank tells him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Donnie wakes up on the golf course the next morning, and discovers that the time is written on his arm. He returns home to discover that a jet engine has fallen from the sky, onto his house and crushed his bedroom.

The next day Donnie goes to school. His English teacher Ms. Pomeroy, strangely, tells the new girl Gretchen, to sit next to the cutest boy in the room; As she's too embarrassed to decide, Ms. Pomeroy makes Gretchen choose to sit next to Donnie, this begins their romance. That night Frank appears to Donnie and makes him flood the school. As a result Donnie walks Gretchen home and asks her out. Some time later, Frank asks Donnie if he believes in time travel. Donnie then asks his science teacher about it, who gives him a book called "The Philosophy of Time Travel" written by Roberta Sparrow, aka Grandma Death, a 101-year-old woman who always stands in the middle of the road and checks for mail in her mailbox. A bit later, Donnie finds the wallet of Jim Cunningham, a motivational speaker whose methods Donnie had opposed violently at a workshop the school had organized with him. Frank appears to Donnie and tells him to "burn it to the ground", so Donnie burns down the house of Cunningham. When the firemen come to investigate the fire, they discover a secret room filled with pedophilic material. As a result, Donnie's physical education/social studies teacher, Ms. Kitty Farmer who was partisan to Cunningham's methods, decides to defend Cunningham, whom she believes has been framed in a conspiracy against him and his methods. Mrs. Farmer consequently asks Donnie's mother to chaperone the dance group of which her daughter is member on their way to California to perform on Star Search. Because of this, Donnie and his older sister, Elizabeth, are able to throw a Halloween party while the parents are away. This leads to a romantic interlude between Donnie and Gretchen. At the same time, Elizabeth's boyfriend Frank realizes they have run out of alcohol at the party and drives off with a friend to pick up more beer. In the meantime, Frank had told Donnie to write to Grandma Death, regarding his views on her book.

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko.
Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko.

After their interlude Donnie decides to take Gretchen to the basement of Grandma Death's house. They stumble upon two bullies who were searching through Ms. Sparrow's cellar. Donnie, Gretchen and the bullies struggle, and Gretchen is thrown into the road. Roberta Sparrow is standing in the middle of the road reading Donnie's letter when Frank comes around the corner, upon her in his car. He swerves to avoid Ms. Sparrow, but accidentally hits Gretchen, killing her. Donnie runs to her, see that she's dead and shoots Frank in the eye, becoming willing to do what must be done in order to save Gretchen. The plane (whose engine becomes the Artifact in the Tangent Universe) with his mother and sister returning from California, passes by the wormhole (or "timestorm" as referenced in the DVD) and the engine is ripped off and thrust back in time. Donnie moves back in time also, back to his room in the Primary Universe, and is in his bed, laughing with realization. He lays down to fall asleep as the engine falls through the roof and kills him. After experiencing the Tangent Universe, and seeing the paths that every living thing follows throughout time, Donnie dies so that Gretchen, his mother, his sister and Frank may live. According to the Philosophy of Time Travel, every Living Receiver dies by the Artifact. A simple explanation of the movie and its ending, based on the DVD commentary, is that Donnie had to make sure, with Frank the rabbit's guidance, that the chain of events that caused the engine to go through the portal occurs. If he failed, the portal would have caused the end of the world (like Frank said). After the crash, we see all the main characters, and we are led to believe (inferring from the facts told in "The Philosophy of Time Travel") that the characters (maybe some, maybe all) experience varying reminiscences or realizations about some of the events that occurred in the Tangent Universe (ie, Cunningham crying because of guilt, or of experiencing his most secret desires ).

[edit] Director interpretation

Richard Kelly, while not denying the viewers' personal interpretations, has made his own clear through the audio commentaries on the two DVDs, the included Philosophy of Time Travel, and in various interviews. His intended plot is as follows: At midnight a tangent universe spins off the Primary Universe, signified by the appearance of an Artifact, here represented by a jet engine. Tangent Universes are inherently unstable and will collapse in less than a month, taking the Primary Universe with it, if not closed off. Closing the Tangent Universe is the duty of the Living Receiver (Donnie), who is given super powers to perform this task. Those who die within the Tangent Universe are the Manipulated Dead (Frank and, according to the back of the book, Gretchen), who are also given certain powers, a subtle understanding of what is going on, and the ability to contact the Living Receiver via the Fourth Dimensional Construct (water). Everyone else in the orbit of the Living Receiver are the Manipulated Living, who are subconsciously drawn to push and prod the Living Receiver towards his destiny, closing the Tangent Universe and, apparently, dying by the Artifact.

If we follow Kelly's interpretation, the chain of events in brief is as follows: Frank (the Manipulated Dead) rouses Donnie (the Living Receiver) from his bed and compels Donnie to leave his house, starting a causal loop. There are two Franks in the story: the living one, who is dating Donnie's sister Elizabeth, and the dead one who appears to Donnie as a premonition from the future, although technically they are the same person. This Frank is dead because at the end of the story, Donnie shoots him through the eye and kills him. According to the Philosophy of Time Travel (described below), dead Frank then has the power to travel through time, and as Donnie is the only person who can save the world, Frank gets Donnie out of bed before the jet engine lands. If Donnie had died, the world would have been doomed.

The film carefully leaves open the possibility that the entire alternate-universe sequence of events may be Donnie's hallucination, fantasy, or dream. Much of the backstory is explained on the official Donnie Darko website. It shows that Donnie was institutionalized before the events of the movie occur and offers other details that help in explaining the goings-on of the movie. The director's commentary on the DVD also gives crucial details, such as the point of departure between the real world and the alternate universe—not when the engine crashes through the ceiling, but instead a few minutes before, when Donnie is called out to meet Frank for the first time.

[edit] Director's cut

right|thumbnail|The Australian DVD cover for the director's cut. A director's cut of the movie debuted on June 4, 2004 in Seattle, Washington and was released in New York and Los Angeles on July 23, 2004. Twenty minutes of footage, including intercalated excerpts from the in-movie book The Philosophy of Time Travel, were added, as well as some soundtrack changes. The director's cut DVD, released on February 15, 2005, included the new footage and additional soundtrack changes, as well as some additional features exclusive to its two-DVD set, including excerpts from the storyboard, a 52 minute production diary, #1 fan video, a "cult following" video interviewing British fans, and the new director's cut cinematic trailer. The director's cut DVD was released as a giveaway with copies of the British Sunday Times newspaper on February 19, 2006.

[edit] Differences

In the director's cut:

  • The opening song was changed from Echo and the Bunny Men's "The Killing Moon" to the originally intended INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart".
  • Donnie simply follows the sphere, as opposed the sphere forming a finger and beckoning him (many fans complained the beckoning finger was out of place in the original and just the sphere suits the film's atmosphere better).
  • Donnie's psychiatrist informs Donnie that his pills are placebos and informs him he's an agnostic as opposed to an atheist as Donnie himself thought.
  • The Holiday Inn scene is lengthened.
  • Many scenes in Ms. Pomeroy's classroom were put back in, including a poetry reading by Donnie, the banning of Graham Greene's "The Destructors" being replaced with Watership Down, and the class later watching the animated movie Watership Down.
  • Frank's apology during the The Evil Dead cinema scene is removed.
  • Karen Pomeroy's firing scene is shortened, and the scene in which Donnie asks her about "Cellar Door" is longer and shows almost entirely different dialogue.
  • Various segue/transition scenes show the contents of Roberta Sparrow's book, chapter by chapter as the movie progresses (giving the viewer a better understanding of the "rules" the movie has). Some more dedicated fans have complained however that this "gives too much away"
  • There are more scenes with Donnie and Gretchen including an arcade scene with Donnie playing Outrun, a race car game. The car is red just like Frank's. It hits a Tree just like Frank hits Gretchen.
  • A new scene with Donnie's mom and dad having dinner discussing Donnie.
  • A scene is added showing Donnie and Elizabeth carving pumpkins. Donnie carved his into the shape of Frank's mask.

Template:Endspoiler

[edit] Production

The movie was shot in 28 days, on a budget of under US$5 million.

[edit] Music

Main article: Donnie Darko soundtrack

[edit] Reception

Publicly screened for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival, critic Andy Bailey billed Donnie Darko as a "Sundance surprise" that "isn't spoiled by the Hollywood forces that helped birth it."[1]

Although critically acclaimed, Donnie Darko debuted in U.S. theatres in October, 2001 to a tepid response. Shown on only 58 screens nationwide, the film grossed $110,494 in its opening weekend. By the time the film closed in U.S. theatres on April 11, 2002, Darko had grossed $517,375.[2][3]

Despite the poor showing at the box office, the film had attracted a devoted fan base. Donnie Darko was originally released on DVD in March 2002. During this time, the Pioneer Theatre in New York City's East Village began midnight screenings of Darko that continued for 28 consecutive months. Soon after, Darko composer Michael Andrews found his piano-driven cover of "Mad World" at the top of the UK music charts.

Strong DVD sales led Newmarket Films to release a "Directors Cut" on DVD in 2005. Bob Berney, President of Newmarket Films described Darko as "a runaway hit on DVD," citing U.S. DVD sales of more than $10 million.[4]

[edit] Awards and nominations

2001 — Richard Kelly won with Donnie Darko for "Best Screenplay" at the Catalonian International Film Festival and at the San Diego Film Critics Society. Donnie Darko also won the "Audience Award" for Best Feature at the Sweden Fantastic Film Festival. The film was nominated for "Best Film" at the Catalonian International Film Festival and for the "Grand Jury Prize" at the Sundance Film Festival.

2002 — Donnie Darko won the "Special Award" at the Young Filmmakers Showcase at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The movie also won the "Silver Scream Award" at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. In 2002 Kelly was nominated for "Best First Feature" and "Best First Screenplay" with Donnie Darko, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal being nominated for "Best Male Lead" at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film was also nominated for the "Best Breakthrough Film" at the Online Film Critics Society Awards.

2003 — Jake Gyllenhaal won for "Best Actor" and Richard Kelly for "Best Original Screenplay" for Donnie Darko at the Chlotrudis Awards, where Kelly was also nominated for "Best Director" and "Best Movie."

2005 — Donnie Darko ranked in top five films on My Favourite Film, an Australian poll conducted by the ABC.[5]

2006 — Donnie Darko ranked ninth in FilmFour's 50 Films To See Before You Die.

[edit] Trivia

  • When Donnie’s mother calls to say she’s catching the red-eye flight back, the airport announcement in the background says “Flight 2806 is boarding at gate 42 and leaving at 12 am.” This is a reference to the countdown, 28:06:42:12, Frank reveals.
  • In Kelly’s commentary he reveals that the man in the red jogging suit is a FAA agent monitoring the family members.
  • The movie was shot in 28 days, the same amount of time Donnie had until his world was destroyed.
  • The movie was filmed in part in Loyola High School, a real-life prominent Catholic institution located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of only 55 Jesuit secondary schools throughout the United States.
  • Elizabeth Darko, Donnie's sister, is played by Jake Gyllenhaal's real sister Maggie Gyllenhaal.
  • The "famous linguist" who claimed that the words Cellar Door were the most beautiful in the English language is in fact J.R.R. Tolkien, but Richard Kelly in the DVD commentary mistakes him for Edgar Allen Poe.
  • Kitty Farmer, using a Jim Cunningham infomercial-style tape, teaches that all human acts and emotions can be split into one of two categories: fear and love. Donnie takes great issue with this stating "You can’t just lump things into two categories. Things aren’t that simple... There are other things that need to be taken into account. Like the whole spectrum of human emotion. You can’t just lump everything into these two categories and then just deny everything else." Writer/director Richard Kelly has since stated that this scene was "plagiarised" from a similar exercise he was put through at school.
  • Graham Greene, whose short story, "The Destructors", is cited in the film, was born on October 2, the same night on which Donnie sees Frank for the first time.
  • The character Dr. Monnitoff claims that "Each vessel travels along a vector path through space-time... along its center of gravity". The 'liquid spheres' which are shown in the film do not emerge from the center of gravity of the person (the sacral promontory, at approximately 55% of body height i.e. the abdomen for an average adult}, but from the chest.
  • If you look carefully at the wallpaper inside the Darko's home (when Donnie is following the sphere on the staircase), the pattern is in the shape of the demonic rabbit, Frank.
  • On the scene where Elizabeth is telling Donnie that she got into Harvard, the Trick or Treat basket on the counter is in the shape of Frank the demonic rabbit.
  • The poster on Donnie's bedroom wall is M.C. Escher's "Eye".
  • In the commentary, Kelly explains that he intentionally uses a modern Blockbuster Video card on the key chain for Blockbuster endorsement purposes. Hence the "modern" card in the film
  • In the film's opening, while Donnie rides his bicycle home, he passes a red Pontiac Firebird. That car is the same car that Frank drives when he runs over Gretchen.
  • Frank Capra's film Harvey (and the play upon which it is based) also contains a large rabbit-like figure that only the main character can see.

[edit] Related products

  • The Donnie Darko Book (ISBN 0571221246) was released in 2003. Written by Richard Kelly and introduced by Jake Gyllenhaal, the 192 page book explained some of the details for the film.
  • NECA released a six inch (15 cm) figure of Frank the Bunny, and later, a foot (30 cm) tall 'talking' version of the same figure.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Donnie Darko. Indie Wire. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  2. ^ Donnie Darko. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  3. ^ Donnie Darko. IMDB. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  4. ^ Donnie Darko. Indie Wire. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  5. ^ My Favourite Film. ABC. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

[[Category:Donnie Darko| ]] [[Category:2001 films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:Cult science fiction films]] [[Category:Cult films]] [[Category:Drama films]] [[Category:Time travel films]] [[Category:Wormholes in fiction]] [[Category:Neo-noir]] [[Category:2001 Sundance Film Festival]] [[Category:Directorial debut films]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Fictional time travelers|Darko, Donnie]] [[Category:Fictional psychokineticists|Darko, Donnie]] [[de:Donnie Darko]] [[es:Donnie Darko]] [[fr:Donnie Darko]] [[it:Donnie Darko]] [[he:דוני דארקו]] [[nl:Donnie Darko]] [[ja:ドニー・ダーコ]] [[no:Donnie Darko]] [[pl:Donnie Darko]] [[pt:Donnie Darko]] [[sv:Donnie Darko]] <nowiki/>