Ye Olde Staging Point

My intuition is to disagree with you in your first hypothesis that, "the events of the movie are actually happening as we see them." This is a movie where metaphor and reality are freely interwoven and blurred. Like the scene in Like Water For Chococolate when the outhouse bursts into flames of passion, we are not take every event as literal truth. Some events serve as hyperreal expression of emotional and spiritual tumult. The laws of physics need not apply, and they don't have to for the story to still work! The rest of your ideas about destiny and sacrifice retain their power in a metaphorical world.

I can't, however, back this up with specifics without a second screening. Does anyone in our circle of friends have a copy I can borrow? It's been too long and the details are fuzzy.

I'm curious, you had mentioned that Donnie might be a re-working of the Last Temptation of Christ. Did you find more to back that up?

This sound like a good interpretation to me, but I have a few other comments:

1. What does Frank say to Donnie the first time he talks to him, when he calls him out of bed so he doesn't get hit by the engine? I remember that he starts by saying something like "I've been watching you" but can't remember what comes after.

2. In the last session with the psychologist, she says something like, "If the sky opens and the world ends, that means there would be no one left but you and Frank, and you don't want to be alone." This sounded to me like a negative thing, and made me think that Frank was at least in part a bad character. A few other things in the movie left me in doubt as to whether Frank was actually a good guy or not, and I was left with the impression that he was kind of a capricious trickster character rather than a good God.

3. How does Gretchen's death figure in as leading Donnie toward the right choice? That's something that never wouldn't happened if Frank hadn't been planting ideas in his mind.

4. I think IMDB said that the original script was more overtly religious. Have you found any info on how it was more religious, or how it was changed?

I really like that the movie forces you to think and re-think about a lot of really important issues. I'm looking forward to seeing it again some time, I have a feeling my interpretations will keep changing every time I watch it.

Wow, great comments, guys! I do realize that my interpretation has a number of holes in it and that other, possibly more plausible takes on the film could be advanced, but what can I say, this is what I got out of the film :)

Alan, I did consider the possibility that much of the movie simply takes place in Donnie's warped mind. However, I decided against that interpretation because a) to me personally, it seems to take away some of the magic of the film, and b) in one of the "deleted scenes" on the DVD, there is a moment in which we learn that Donnie's medications are just placebos.

As for the Last Temptation connection, I believe it is there from what I know of the LToC storyline, but as I have not finished reading the book I cannot really comment yet.

Michele: I have read that the original film was more blatantly religious in its themes, and that seems to be born out by some of the deleted scenes on the DVD. However, the deleted scenes aren't enough to really prove or disprove my theory that Frank is God; perhaps the director's commentary on the film will reveal more. I'll have to give it a look-see.

Thanks again for comments, guys!

I probably didn't state my case clearly enough. If portions of the story took place in Donnie's mind, then there remains the possibility that every scene can be rationalized as either a real event or an imagination. I'm saying that reason does not apply, that some portions of the story cannot be classified as real or imagined, and that in the service of the greater themes, it's not important that everything be rationalized. It's like a Piers Anthony tale. We know that magic and ogres don't exist, but within that universe we believe that they can. Donnie Darko is part allegorical fantasy and part drama with a dash of sci fi for extra flava.

ok. good interpretations. but alot of it is very symbolic and metaphoric and can seem intangible. my somewhat 'realistic' interpretation (i have many other interpretations, no use having just one) is that donnie is a schizophrenic who has a gift for seeing the future. his subconscious can analyze the present events into prophetic visions of the future, much like nostradamus(sp?). frank has the bullet hole in his eye because donnie knows he will shoot him, subconsciously. the liquid snake dealies, i forget what theyre called, are indicative that donnie knows through calculation what is going to happen. that is why donnie is able to evade his own death. however, one of my speculations is that at the end of the movie, donnie doesnt go back in time, but merely becomes so emotionally damaged that he has to imagine himself undoing gretchens death by dying himself. after all, it does say october 2 before the final scene, does it not? if donnie had actually gone back in time, it wouldnt say october 2. donnie is likely locked up somewhere by this time and is having a schizophrenic hallucination. let me know what you guys think.

whoops. nevermind about the october 2 thing. i always think halloween is on the 31st of september for some reason. nevermind that bit.

Hmmm, interesting. I'll have to go check the film again to see what the exact date is at the final scene.

I would tend to agree that the most "realistic" interpretation is one in which Donnie is simply mentally demaged or schizophrenic. In that sense, most of the movie could be interpreted as him hallucinating or fantasizing about the great things that happen to him (he gets the girl, he is made the most important person in the universe), and the great things that he does (he stands up to his silly teachers, he gets away with his misdeeds, he saves the world). If he's just imagining it, then the whole movie could be seen as his own fantasy construct, and perhaps as a picture of the way he wished his life really were.

Good comments!

A few unanswered questions/things that are still in the way of a lucid interpretation: 1). Why is Jim Cunningham referred to by Darko as the antichrist? If he is physically not the antichrist then it would at least seem that his single spectrum doctrine, at least, is flawed and, perhaps, inherently evil. 2). The chubby Chinese girl has a book that falls out of her bag with the words Donnie Darko on it. Darko then takes her earmuffs and wears them. Why? 3). What is the significance of the school's mascot? Darko puts an axe into its head after breaking the watermain and also people in desperation sit underneath it. Also, it has an undue amount of camera time to be allocated no importance. 4). What are Drew Barrymore and the principal discussing in terms of preventing the children from apathy and why is she fired? I think that these subtler points must be answered before a completely cogent 'meaning' for the movie can be pasted together. I am not saying I have them, it was simply that these little details aggravated me as they are either utterly significant or merely throw away scenes.

One last thing. If one is to follow the biblical interpretation that has been leveled (quite a good interpretation by the by) then Frank is obviously the devil. First, he is the one that takes Darko off the path of death which sends the world into tumult. Further, he tells Darko that he can "do anything he wants." Just as satan told Jesus towards the end of Jesus' forty day fast--the last temptation of Christ, where Jesus could, in essence, choose to save himself from death, as he is, afterall, just as much God as is God the father. This parallels Darko's story. Darko could either live, and the world would be destroyed, or die in order to save the world, like Christ. Also, Darko's interpretation of the smurfs is not completely unimportant to this interpretation. The Smurfs were based on Calvinist doctrine of Christianity. Gandolph is Satan and the Smurfs are the early Christian disciples. That is why the Smurfs are, in a sense, communist, just as the original disciples lived. Jesus, like Mohammed in fact, states that it is wrong to make interest on money and often encourages a social structure very similar to communism. Thus, Darko's explosion at his friends poking fun at the smurfs puts him in another position paralleling Jesus. So, in a sense, the entire movie could, perhaps, be seen as a modernized version of Christ's (Darko's) last temptation before choosing to live and destroy the world or to die and save it (jet engine rather than crucifix is quite funny). Oh, one more thing to this point. Darko asks his mother at one point what it felt like having a lunatic for a child. Just as Mary had to deal with having a god as her son, Darko's mother must deal with the modernized version of the sacrosanct, derangement. Sorry, on last thought, Jim Cunningham could be seen as a Pharisee because he preaches a shallow doctrine that exists only as a veneer to his deeper evils yet has a certain mass appeal. Perhaps this is why Darko's first question to him is "how much are they paying you to be here". Just as Jesus was fed up with the Pharisees for making money in the temple (righteous anger). Well, that drug, apologies.

I like the religous interpretation regarding Frank as Satan. But there is much left unexplained about time travel. Following the assumption that Donnie has a choice to follow God's path or the world will be destroyed, how is it possible that the plane engine, which is from a future of Donnie's choice and resulting apocolypse, kills him? There would be no engine from the plane if Donnie chooses to die. Confused.

If Donnie chooses to die, there would still be the plane engine. The difference is that instead of his mother being on the plane, the gym teacher would be boarded instead. The gym teacher wouldn't need to be at Jim Cunninghams arraignment because Donnie would have never burned down Cunninghams house to expose his kiddy-porn ring, and therefor the teacher would be the chaperone for sparklemotion. So by choosing to die, Donnie not only puts the teacher on the plane instead of his mother, but his mom never goes out of town which means that Gretchen and human Frank wouldn't die either. When the world is forcasted to end, I don't think the actual world is ending but rather Donnie's vision is ending.

I dont think that the wormhole was part of the apocolypse. i think the wormhole was just a physical anomoly in the space time continuem. Because that still has to happen in order for there to be a jet engine to kill donnie. But i think that its interesting how things unfold in the movie. How Donnie sees his path in life, how he sees that liquid arrow which guides him to the gun which he uses to shoot Frank (human) in the eye. So why was frank the messanger? why did he come back in time to pull Donnie away? if donnie would have died october 2 then he never would have killed frank. and also if frank is the devil why does he bring up time travel when he's talking to donnie? because its that conversation which leads donnie to figuring things out. i agree with the earlier post, that there is a lot more to be figured out, but i think you all are on the right track i'm going keep checking this board.

(side note)One scene that i found interesting is where donnie is talking to his therapist and he tells them that Frank is going to kill, and frank then runs over Gretchen.

Interesting board... I don't agree in Frank being the devil. Cuz Frank isn't really anyone before Donnie shoots him in the eye. Just an unlucky kid who runs over Gretchen. And why is Frank travelling back in time?? Is it to prevent Donnie from shooting him?? And if Frank is God, why is it a human Frank?? Confused as well...

And by the way: Think of the time travel theory. "If God controls time, then all time is predecided". If Donnie then are able to perform time travels, then it's a proof that God doesn't excist. And i think that's why the professor can't continue the conversation. Because he can loose his job if he says anything that contradict the excistence of God. And as Donnie IS able to travel through time, then it contradicts the excistence of God. And if Donnie "proves" that God doesn't excist, how can Frank be either God or the devil?? Or am i wrong...??

Guys I found this whilesearch for more interpretations, this has put it all in a greater prespective.

1. The Philosophy Of Time Travel
The Philosophy Of Time Travel book that is given to Donnie directly explains most of what happens in the movie. However, as we aren't told whats in the book, the events in the film are left unexplained. A copy of the book can be found on the Donnie Darko website. Unfortunately, its a bit difficult to find, so click here to open a copy in a separate window.

2. So What Happened?

A jet engine from the future crashes into Donnie's house and triggers a parallel world, which will end in 28 days. Frank is sent to warn Donnie of the end of the world, and help guide him into a position where he will send the engine back through time, closing the parallel time frame, and saving the world. Frank is basically a premonition from the future, as Donnie kills Frank at the end of the film. Donnie is manipulated into situations which will eventually leave him no choice but to send the engine back through time. He meets Gretchen, which proves to him that he doesn't have to die alone (one of his fears), and makes him less scared of death. He burns down Cunnighams house, which leads events to making his mother go on the trip with his daughter, thereby setting up the plane in the correct position to deposit its engine into the black hole. His shrink also admits that Donnies medication are placebos, indicating he's not as mad as he thinks (this is on the DVD as a deleted scene). As the climax begins to unfold, Donnie unwittingly gets Gretchen killed, and realises that his mother and family will also die if he doesn't close up the black hole. In closing the black hole, Donnie sacrifices himself, saves Gretchen from being killed, and because he doesn't burn down Cunninghams house, saves his mother from being on the plane (as the other mother could take the kids on the trip instead). He also doesn't kill Frank. In closing the black hole, everybody then wakes up on what would be back on the 1st of October (the start of the movie) and to the news that Donnie has died from a jet engine landing on him.

3. Events Explained By The Philosophy Of Time Travel
The book explains of the Primary Universe (real life) and a Tangent Universe (like a parallel universe). When the forth dimension of time is broken, a Tangent Universe occurs, and is unstable. Hence the world ending in 28 days time. If the Tangent Universe ends, then the world ends, the Tangent Universe basically swallowing the world up in a black hole.

The Tangent Universe occurs when an Artifact passes into the Primary Universe. The Arifact (as explained in the book) is usually metal, and its whereabouts cannot be explained. The jet engine that crashes into Donnie's house is the artifact. Obviously the engine has come from the future, and triggers a Tangent Universe, which Donnie has to close to enable the world to return to normality.

Donnie is identified as the Living Reciever, as the person nearest to the vortex when the engine appeared. Its Donnies job to send the artifact back through time to close the Tangent Universe black hole. Apparently he has "special powers" - is this to do with his time-manipulation and visions, or just cos he's schizophrenic?

Everyone around him become whats known as "The Manipulated" and are basically there to guide Donnie (as the Living Reciever) on a path to make sure he uses his powers to close the black hole. Karen (Drew Barrymore), Roberta Sparrow and Gretchen are all manipulated living, Karen dropping some large clues for Donnie throughout (again, see Drews deleted scenes on the DVD for more stuff). Frank is The Manipulated Dead, a premonition from the future used to give Donnie guidance. His job is to put Donnie into a position where he has no choice but to save the world. The Ensurance Trap is set when not only Gretchen is killed, but when Donnie realises his mother and sister will die in the plane crash, and when he kills Frank (revealed as Elizabeths boyfriend). If he sacrifices himself, everyone else will live.

In closing the rift, and being killed by the engine, the Manipulated all awake from the parallel time frame back at the start of the movie (or 1st Oct). The appearance of the engine will never be explained.

5. Gretchen's Comment
Twice in the movie, Gretchen makes reference to going back in time, and placing good things in the past. The second time this happens is before Donnie drives off in the car, before placing the engine in the black hole. Possibly misconstrued as a throwaway comment on first viewing, it becomes more significant second time round, especially when you realise whats actually happening.

has anyone here been to the donnie darko website? if so have you been able to get past the third level? when i get to the transcript of the conversation about the fallen plane the next thing that happens is a text that reads 'times up, donnie' after that i can't seem to get anywhere. if someone could help out it'd be greatly appreciated

When you get the transcript of the conversation on level three, they say that the engine is from an english plane. I thought the engine was from the same plane as Donnies mother was on. Or?? And how did Donnie actually get back in time?? At the time he went back, he was sitting in his car. He wasn't even near the plane or the enging...

And scott, i've tried the third level several times, but i can't get anywhere either. I've tried to write something as well, but it doesn't help... Frustrated...

question........is there any significance to the fat man in the jump suit who is in the woods and then in the front yard at the party with the flashlight im not quite sure what his importance is. and then the chinese girl. she is in it way too much to not have importance as well?

about the plane crashing it was caused to crash by the wormhole that was opening up as a result of the universe being ripped apart. so donnie had to guide the artifact (engine) back into the wormhole so it would close the rift that it had opened. the reason that it fell out of the sky in the first place is simply an act of God (according to The Philosophy of Time Travel) and donnie was chosen to guide the artifact through the wormhole to close the rift. being chosen as the one responsible for closing the rift he was given special powers (telekenesis, super strength, ability to read minds to name a few once again all of this is according to The Philosophy of Time Travel) so thats how he was able to guide engine through from the cliff. now as to whether he flew the car to the engine, or used his mind, or whatever i'm not sure. and actually it wasn't an english plane, it was a 747 which flew around the country, they shipped the engine to london to do tests on it. the morning of october 2 the plane was flying over colorado, and the plane was in good condition when the conversation took place, which was some years afterwards. one of the things about the artifacts that cause these rifts is that they are never explained, often becoming idols of religion.

all that being said i still would like to know if there's anything past level 3

Read the The Philosophy of Time Travel. It explains loads. I've made a picture of the "whole" book if someone wants it. It's just cut and paste, but you can read it. Just e-mail me, and i'll send it.

I agree with Cody...but think there is more signifigance with the fat girl and the comments by the english and science teachers. it's almost as if the last two know something about Him that nobody else does. They have that brief conversation in the staff room that you get to see just for a moment, and the science teacher says he might lose his job. I thought it was because he was teaching Donne more than the cirriculim allowed, letting him think for himself-which is why the english teacher got fired. She activly encoraged free thouht, as opposed to the gym teacher so would not deviate from her set lesson plan of the Fear----Love line.

The fat girl is a bit of a mystery. All I could figure is that maybe, and it's a big maybe, she idolised Donnie and thats how we get to know the story, with her imaginative embellishments. The book she dropped was actually a story about him. the story we where watching....maybe.

Wocket

i have yet to see the dvd, so there are still some details which i need to work out before i can really form a good interpretation of the movie, but i'm warming up to the idea that the movie deals mostly with theology and free will and god, etc. frank, however, is a bit confusing to me. with this interpretation in mind, it seems to me that frank plays the part of both good and evil, god and the devil. i suppose this is a pretty song statement to make, but i think it could make sense.

what strikes me in particular is when frank says to donnie, 'i can do anything i want...and so can you.' he is offering him some kind of an opportunity, or vision, which seems clearly to contradict christianity and its ideas of right and wrong.

yet on the other hand, frank ultimately sets donnie up to make the right choice to save the lives of those he loves. it is undoubtedly frank's guidance which leads donnie to close the black hole in the end.

i don't know...i still have to watch the movie again, but it seems like there's a lot to support the idea the frank represents both good and bad throughout different parts in the movie.

as for some of the smaller details, like the asian girl, the fat guy, or even the two punks (their roles are obviously more extensive, but what purpose they serve, i'm not quite sure of), they all seem to be aspects of the movie which are the hardest to figure out. maybe they weren't intended to have any real purpose beyond adding to the 'mystery' of it all.

also, i'm not entirely sure this is true of the whole movie, but i found it interesting that anytime frank actually appears to donnie, it is in darkness. even the psychaiatrist's office is surpringly dark. any time frank communicates with donnie during the day or in light, you only hear his voice. i don't know if this means anything, but i found it interesting.

a few final thoughts: i thought it was hugely comical that as gretchen and donnie go upstairs to the bedroom during the party scene, joy division's 'love will tear us apart' is blaring on the speakers.

lastly, i looked it up just for the hell of it, and found that the name 'donald' actually comes from an old gaelic name meaning 'ruler of the world.' it'd be interesting to know if this was intentional or just a coincidence. if it was intended, it could very well tie in with frank telling donnie that he can do anything he wants.

well, those are my observations. i'd love to read more thoughts and interpretations, as i haven't quite gotten everything to add up just yet.

I noticed some interesting stuff in the movie. The school mascot (the bronze statue) is called "The Mutt" and the school's nickname is "the Mongrels". On the bus when Donnie jumps out it says Mongrels Rule on it. The asian girl sits by the Mutt after her Autumn Angel performance. Donnie puts an axe in the Mutts head.

It also talks about how Donnie's "problem" comes from his inability to deal with the forces he percieves to be threatining. His meds are nothing more than placebo's for his mind. On the VHS right before the shrink has this conversation with his parents they show a cut-away to a cross in the sky. To me this seems like "traditional religion" is nothing more than a placebo for our minds, a way to deal with supposed threatining forces in our life, like god, and being alone.

What does this say about religion?

What does this say about our ability to deal with supposed threatining forces in our own lives?

How did the asian girl deal with these threatining forces?

How about the two punks?

Perhaps we all take things alittle to serious, I know I do sometimes :-)

My interpretation

I think everyone assumes that unless donnie left the house at franks bidding he would have died to the jet engine. I think this is wrong. Donnie sleep walks every night, so this is one bullet he would have dodged anyway. That particular night there is a worm hole in the sky. Donnie goes outside as usual, frank tells him to look at the sky (i.e. look through the worm hole). Through this worm hole donnie sees his future, the rest of the movie is the vision he gains through the worm hole. In the end of the movie we see Donnie hopping back into bed, this means, he has looked through the worm hole (at franks bidding) seen the future and made the decision to go back into his room and die to prevent the tradgedies that will result from his actions. Therefore Frank in my mind is a spirit, who has appeared to Donnie to make him aware of what will happen and give him the choice to sacrifice himself.

So basically what actually happens on that night is he gets up, walks outside, has the conversation with frank, then walks back inside and hops into bed.

This makes sense to me, but there are still parts that puzzle me. I don't know if every aspect of this movie necessarily plays a clear role in helping the story or whether a lot of the things are not necessarily connected. I tend to thinkt he latter.

the one major thing that bothers me is that by Donnie dieing all these tradgedies are avoided save one. If Donnie dies Cunningham is not brought to justice. So what does this mean? That bothers me. It would seem significant as anyone who has watched the deleted scenes will be aware of Donnie's poem where he talks about saving the children from the monster, which would obvisouly be Cunningham. So it seems that it is important, yet in the end this monster is left unharmed.

I do belive that Donnie suffers from mental problems, he does act strangely. But basically my take on the whole thing is that everything between the first meeting with Frank, and Donnie hopping back into bed right at the end is a vision gained from looking through the worm hole. Otherwise in my mind it makes no sense how he transitions from the top of the hill with dead gretchen back into his bed.

Please point out any flaws you see in my theory, I find this movie fascinating and I love reading everyone's theories.

On the Donnie Darko website, you find that after Donnie dies, Jim Cunningham kills himself on the golfcourse, so is this justice? Who knows...but he's dead.

I watched this movie for the second time last night. Today I started to look on the web for more information and I found this website. I found it extremely helpful and informative. I'm looking forward to watching the directors commentary before I make any analysis.

One interesting thing that this series of posts has not touched on is what "Gramma Death" was looking for in her mailbox everyday. Clearly her presence in the street let to the car running over Gretchen and let Donnie to speak with her in the first place but why else was she looking in her mailbox?

Grandma Death is waiting for Donnie's letter :-)

Don't wait for the directors commentary. The director did the movie the way he did so people could watch it and arrive at their own conclusions...so what's yours? :-)

just wanted to point out that i finally saw the dvd version for the first time (having posted here the other day), and it's really pretty informative and generally just interesting all around if you're at all interested in the filmmaking process.

andrew c is right, in that the movie is definitely intended to be open to interpretation. i recommend you watch a few times before watching it with the commentary. the commentary is great, but it will most likely change your original ideas about it in some way or another, and that might not necessarily be good for some people.

one thing i did want to mention from the dvd, (because i found it so interesting and fairly obvious once i knew), that the man in the red jogging suit is simply one of the FAA agents trying to dig up some info on why exactly a random jet engine fell onto a random house. i hope i didn't spoil anything too terribly for anyone, but after i saw that, i just thought to myself, 'ah, that makes perfect sense.'

anyway, there's plenty more left to discover and interpret, and i do highly recommend getting the dvd after you've seen it on its own a few times.

The first comment that I would like to make is that I believe the events in the film DID actually happen and Donnie DID actually travel through time. If everything was simply a foreshadowing of the future why would Frank show him terrible things that Frank made him do. It seems that if it was a vision Donnie would be left with several choices: He could sacrifice himself or he could live out the 28 days and not do the things that Frank told him to do. By looking at the film in this sense I see much more evil in Frank's character than good. Perhaps Frank only saved Donnie to use him as an agent of destruction and even the cause of the world's end. In this respect Donnie overcomes evil by discovering the secret of time travel for himself and foiling Frank's plot.

Another big unresolved question in my mind is the behavior of the other characters in the film when they wake up at the end of the film. Perhaps Gretchen's ideas of replacing memories has come true to some extent and all of the other characters get a glimpse of the future when Donnie travels through time. This would be another way Donnie overcomes evil. He has let others see a little gilmpse of their futures and prevents some of these things from happening.

I find it hard to accept that Frank is evil. He never really convinces Donnie to do anything that is overly bad. He vandalises the school but this could hardly be classed as "evil". Apart from that, he exposes a kiddy porn ring, definately a good thing. He also apologises to Donnie when they are in the movie cinema, which he does after Donnie asks what happened to his eye. So it's a fairly safe assumption that he is apologising for gretchen's death. And the fact that he doesn't elaborate on this fact supports the idea that he feels genuine remorse as telling Donnie that served no purpose.

Although I stated earlier that I think it is all a vision I am in no way certain about that fact, it's just a theory. But either way I think Frank is simply there to help Donnie investigate and realise what's going on so that the significance of the situation doesn't just pass him by. Without Frank's help Donnie may not realise what's going on and make the choice to change the future. Certainly Frank is the first one to put the idea of Time travel in Donnie's head.

But definately all of Frank's motives are still a mystery to me, as is a lot of what happens.

On a side note, does anyone know what that music is that is playing both during the cinema dialogue wtih Frank and the start of the end credits.

Some of these discussions on this board is deeply religious so I will not mull on those points. However if you paid attention to the deleted scenes and the commentary. Sometimes "Artifacts escape reality and agents are sent to retrieve them". In this case it is a jet engine, and Donnie is the agent. The chubby chinese girl. She looks flabbergasted when she sees Donnie. Why? Because he sees she has donnie darko written in her notebook. He puts on her earmuffs to prove he is real. She knew (maybe not in her conscieous mind) that donnie was not suppose to be there. Hence realizing early the connection between the "Mutt" mascot and her waiting for donnie at it.

Ray

Some of these discussions on this board is deeply religious so I will not mull on those points. However if you paid attention to the deleted scenes and the commentary. Sometimes "Artifacts escape reality and agents are sent to retrieve them". In this case it is a jet engine, and Donnie is the agent. The chubby chinese girl. She looks flabbergasted when she sees Donnie. Why? Because he sees she has donnie darko written in her notebook. He puts on her earmuffs to prove he is real. She knew (maybe not in her conscieous mind) that donnie was not suppose to be there. Hence realizing early the connection between the "Mutt" mascot and her waiting for donnie at it.

Ray

Some of these discussions on this board is deeply religious so I will not mull on those points. However if you paid attention to the deleted scenes and the commentary. Sometimes "Artifacts escape reality and agents are sent to retrieve them". In this case it is a jet engine, and Donnie is the agent. The chubby chinese girl. She looks flabbergasted when she sees Donnie. Why? Because he sees she has donnie darko written in her notebook. He puts on her earmuffs to prove he is real. She knew (maybe not in her conscieous mind) that donnie was not suppose to be there. Hence realizing early the connection between the "Mutt" mascot and her waiting for donnie at it.

Ray

Hugh,

I know what you're talking about--I loved that piece of music. I think it was the song entitled "The Evil Dead", it was the last song title on the end credits. I don't believe it's on the movie score, though, and I'm having trouble finding it on P2P programs.

Anyway, I love this movie, and I've enjoyed reading your guy's interpretations of it.

Unfortunately the evil dead is that very chirpy upbeat music that plays at the END of the movie. It is the actual credits music to the Evil Dead movie which is what they are watching in cinema.

Hugh, I've found it!

On Kazaa, I searched for "Donnie Darko Ave Maria"
If you can't find it, I'll be glad to send it to you over an instant messaging program.

reading all the previous posts has helped me understand much of the movies which i didnt before. one thing that i still dont get is after donnie makes the engine go back throught the wormhole, enabling him to be killed by it, how did doonie himself get back so tha the could get killed? did he go through the wormhole as well?

also there has been a number of posts linking donnie and jesus, one ecsecially hit on jesus and his temptation. on the dvd teh last deleted scene shows donnie being impaled by a board, looking very much like a chirst figure.

I didn't see anyone comment on this, so I thought that i would. I believe the clear tubes you see in the movies are the predestined paths of the people they come out of. They are usually invisible but donnie can see them because someone wants him to see them.

I'am am slightly retarded but that doesn't mean I'am not able to voice my opinion.
I feel that when Frank wake's donnie for the fist time donnie awakes in a dream world, what happens there after is a dream, a prophecy of some sought invested in donnie in the form of a dream by God.

Donnie was giggling before he collapsed back down to sleep towards the end of the film. Now he could have awoken and shot out of his room like a bitch in heat but he didnt ..... he knew that living was pointless due to all the pain that would be the ultimate result ... Grecthen would die and he would kill Frank. (good shot by the way ,damn!!! dead centre in the right eye!!!)ouch!!

but i often fell that this simple "dream" idea is to some extent wrong .... and the idea of donnie using the jet engine as a means of time travel rather good becuase these spereh tube like s*it (remind me of that bit in the abyss wit the water and it makes the guys face)are the persons pre-determined path ... and at the the end of the film you see the engine falling through the sky in what looked like one of these tubes but of course an extremley big one!!!

also i dindt get the deal wit the plane donnie's mum was in decompressing and shaking an s*it. was the engine from the plane she was on?????
i part of the future or dream world that manged to slip through in the real??????

either way dope movie and i was wondering if some one could post a basic idea of wot the deleted scences were about cause i didn't get a chance to watche em? thanks!!!

anyway i am sorry for the spelling and grammer errors as i stated before i am slightly mentally retarded.

peace!!!

another thing donnie is apperently a very keen sleep walker but at the end of the film he giggles and goes back to sleep because he soughts know he's will be at peace or like prevent the ultimate doom of gretchens and frank death. so to me it soughta shows that donnie has accepted his fate and inturn that kinda makes me think that perhaps this is god wanting to see if we can make the right decision ... if we are willing to sacrifice are selves for the needs of the many .... " the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many"

peace

i've jus read joel's post and screw the crap i've been talking i agree wit the points he made completely!!!!!!

I just watched the movie for the first time, and rushed to the net to try and find some guidance about whhat I just watched (Mullholand Drive had the same effect).

Good thoughts everyone. I think it was mentioned above that this story mirrors The Last Temptation of Christ, for anybody that didn't notice ... this movie (The Last ....) shares the marquee (sp?) with Evil Dead 2 when Donnie and Gretchen go to the movie.

I will watch this spot.

Ok, some of this may already have been posted, but here are my personal theories:

1. Frank is Jesus, not God or the Devil. I went to Christian school for two years, and didn't pay a lot of attention, but I specifically remember that when Jesus returns, the righteous will be saved, and all others will be left with hell on Earth. This state of the world is also knows as the apokalipse (sp). Therefor, when Jesus returns, it will be the end of the world. That is why Frank says the end of the world is comming, and he saves Donnie. Donnie is the only truly rightious person, because he tries to understand God and religion instead of accepting it all. This idea is further backed up because Jim Cunningham is supposed to be all Holy, but he is actually a pervert with a kiddie porn fetish, showing that you need to do more then go through the motions to be truly christian. Plus, there is Frank's line "I can do anything I want." Jesus had great powers, he could walk on water, make one loaf of bread into 1,000 etc. yet anotother piece of evidence for this: Donnie says "I have to obey him, he saved my life." Just as people devote their lives to Christ after they are 'saved' by him. And also, that would explain how Frank is Godlike in his ability to be in the mirror, but also human at the end, since Jesus was both God and a human. I think the fact that he looks so evil is just for irony's sake.

2. The reson Gretchen dies is because although she was needed to make Donnie make the right choice (as explained in the first interpretation) Donnie will not leave her, but if she is dead, he not only doen't have to be sad about living without her, but he can also save her.

3. Frank is both real and not real. While he is not phisically in the room or mirror or whatever, he is also not a figment of Donnies imagination. If I am right about Frank being Jesus, he could easily be able to make himself apear to certain people only.

4. This isn't really an interpretaion, but its about an earlier post. Frank doesn't have the bullet hole eye because Donnie will shoot him later, but because he stabbed the eye in the mirror before. The reason he is shot in the same eye later is because that ties it all together.

5. Donnie doesn't go back into the past. He does create the wormhole, though, but only the plane engine does through it.

Now, a few questions:
1. What is the significance of Donnie and Gretchen's children eyeglass thingies with the pictures in them?

2. Is it significant that the girl is Chinese, or forign at all?

3. What was the purpose of the older sister? I guess she was the excuse for having the party, but they could have found other ways to make the party happen.

4. It seems that the countdown is more or less to Gretchen's death, but then how is the world still going a few hours later until he creates the wormhole?

5. Why is Frank a rabbit? Why not a turtle, or a puppy?

There are tother things I wanted 2 say, but I can't remember them all.

On a different topic, how does the web site work? I tried spelling out "Pay close attention you could miss something" but there are like 3 extra words. Im on level one, and have no clue what I'm doing. Please explain.

Man! This movie has made me puzzled. I got it from a friend. He told me to be sure, to have some time afterwards, when I watched it. Now i know what he was talking about.

This site has made me think I understand a few things. Thanks

But what about grandmother death. what is her role? She was a nun but quiet to become a science teacher and is the one who wrote the philosophy of timetravel. A book which descripes the stuff Donnie is seing, according to himself. In the end she is dressed in white. I'm thinking a pure color. It is to avoid her that Frank kills Gretchen, and then Donnie kills him (But then her Nickname is Grandma Death).

I'm thinking, like some of you, that this movie has a religious theme to it. And i'm sure that the role Roberta Sparrow plays in all of it has something to do with religion. I'm still trying to make sense of it.
if it does I'll post it.

Can anybody tell what Donnie says to the punk outside Roberta Sparrows house in the end. seth (the punk) says "did you call the fucking cops" then Donnie answers with something but what?

Can anybody tell what Donnie says to his psychiatrist at the last session? It is the point that start of with:"time's up..." but what is the last part Donnie says? and then he says something like a kid crying, but What?

Have anybody read the GRaham Greene Book?

Andrew C

You wrote:
"I noticed some interesting stuff in the movie. The school mascot (the bronze statue) is called "The Mutt" and the school's nickname is "the Mongrels". On the bus when Donnie jumps out it says Mongrels Rule on it. The asian girl sits by the Mutt after her Autumn Angel performance. Donnie puts an axe in the Mutts head."

Do you know what this means? Because I do not? Is it a language thing I'm danish so my english isn't my primary language(maybe some of you have noticed)
Hoping for an answer

Michael,

It's not a language thing really. I just thought it was a bit of a metaphor for how the church views people that aren't a devout religious faith. Like their somehow "mongrels" the un-converted masses are somehow inferier without some sort of religious placebo for their minds.

Maybe I'm looking into the movie too much, but it makes sense to me, and that's what matters :-)

thanks

Hi/ I think that a lot of the things said here make sense, but my biggest problem here is the paradox of time travel. I think it's fairly obvious that donnie must die (when in the hotel room, his parents talk about a guy who died on his way to the prom, whom everyone said was doomed, like they could say about donnie), but that's about it. I guess he has to do all those things frank tells him to do, in order for the wormhole to appear, and for the engine to fall on him. But what if he just stayed in his bed at the first place? I think that the wormhole appears BECAUSE he does all those things - the wormhole appears because the sky breaks open. The sky breaks open because the world is going to end. So, if donnie's death prevents all this at the end, how come the engine still falls? That's the paradox.

You kind of answered your own question. Donnie was not meant to leave his room that night, causing this whole journey. You asked what would have happened if he didn't go out that night, and the answer to that is easy if you think about it. 1st off, the school isn't flooded, so he doesn't meet Gretchen (sp). Then, he doens't expose the kiddy porn ring, so the guy doesn't go to court, so the Gym Teacher doesn't have to go to the trial, so she goes on the plane instead of Donnie's mom Rose. Frank doesn't die, and neither does Gretchen. There are other things that wouldn't happen, but those are the big ones. And that is why he has to create the wormhole, so that it DOES kill him, and he never ends up leaving his bedroom.

Yeah, off course, but my question is - why did frank pull donnie out of his room the night the engine crashed. To some extent he caused his own death by doing that. He could have left him there in the first place and everything would be the same. I don't buy the assumption that donnie sleepwalks anyway, cause it's fairly obvious that frank wakes him up, and donnie even says to his therapist that franks saved him.
My theory is that in order for the wormhole to appear, all of these conditions had to be met - gretchen and frank had to die (I don't think donnie's mom being on the plane is relevant. The only reason she goes is so donnie can have a party, and frank can go buy beer etc) for the world to end, so the wormhole would appear, and carry the engine back in time.
That's the paradox right there, how could the engine still fall on him, if all the conditions needed to make it happen, don't occur?

This may come acroos as sounding a little meaner then I intend it to, but if you read the philosophy of time travel, you will know some important things. 1. Donnie was closest to the worm hole that droped the engine in his room. This makes him a specia person, the Chosen One. It is the Chosen One's job to lead the Artifact (the engine) back to the normal universe. There are people who help him, including the Manipulated Living and the Manipulated Dead. That is why Frank pulls him out that night. He is being manipulated by a greater power and being forced to show Donnie, the Chosen One, the way to fix everything. It is really interesting to read the Pholosophy of Time Travel, I recomend all big Darko fans do it.

I have a few questions for the panel.

1) I thnk that Donnie says deux ex machina before Gretchen is hit by the car. What is the significance of that?

2) What event do you think triggered the change of Roberta Sparrow? Was it similar to the experience of Donnie?

3) What role do you think Cunningham plays throughout the story? Because I feel like he is the antithesis of what the movie stresses, yet some people have posted that he also helps lead Donnie to his eventual righteous choice.

Thoughts?

Hey well a few of you were askin about the website, which is trippy as i might say... AWESOME! Ok well you asked about a level three, there is a level three, the level where they show the phone converstaion about the airline is actually level three and sadly is the end to the website. the website seems to go through the movie in three stages, and level three represents the dying of donnie from the airliners engine. "TIME IS UP DONNIE" just makes an end, the end of everything, donnie, the story and the website. Thanks for all the comments too it really drew conclusions to my questions on this amazing film!

Hey again, another comment, for 'Jon'. Deux ex machina is the 'God from the machine', first used in greek amphitheatres. The hero would get into an impossible jam and this chair decked with flowers came down from overhead. the hero sat down in it and was drawn up and out of harms way. The symbolism of it being that the hero had been saved by god by this godly machine. it is also known as 'the old paracute under the airplane seat trick.' Correct me if im wrong but by Donnie saying this it answers his question on how he can time travel - he needs a shuttle to transport him, DEUS EX MACHINA. He is given the insight into what he needs to do to get out of harms way and time travel back into the correct relm of time, he is saved by god (possibly Frank?) by realising that it is the plane/engine which is his shuttle through the portal (then again i also got the impression in the film that his shuttle through the portal of time travel was the family van? but who knows!)Im not sure if this is right, it could also mean that he senses that Gretchen is about to die therefore saying Deus Ex Machina in hope that god will send one down for Gretchen. ?? actually ignore what i said first because i'm leaning more towards my last answer that he is saying it in hope of the saving of Gretchen, considering he says it before she dies. I reckon it helps Donnie understand how to get through the portal but im reckon he says it before Gretchen is run over because he has a last hope that god will save her, considering he knows he cannot. i'm not sure if this answers your questions but i hope it has helped. sorry that my explaination is all over the place, hope you understood.

Is Frank the person Frank the Bunny?? this is one aspect that really confuses me?? why is Frank the person at the end rubbing his eye as if he knows what has happened, when the rest of the characters dont know??? If Frank the person is also Frank the bunny does that make Frank the person not reality, or the bunny reality??? Or are they two different characters with the coincident that Frank the person has the same name and dresses as the bunny therefore confusing Donnie into thinking he is Frank the bunny? but then that doesnt tie in with Frank the person appearing in the cinema and the last scenes where he honks his horn to warn Donnie of the engine, rubbs his eye and where the scanning of the camera shows his drawings of the bunny mask and the suit. Is he god in a human body who is disquised by the bunny suit????
AArgh someome please help me understand!

Hi everyone. I've been reading people's interpretations these past few days and I think that it's awesome that there is a place like this for people to share what they think.

I had a question if anyone was willing to help. I've been checking out the donnie darko website for some time now. I know the password to level three is Rose. But what the hell are the ones for one and two? I've been driving myself crazy!

Hey Ruth,
I'm here to try and help you with the website, yeah its pretty confusing at times. It goes through showing many different passwords which distract you from the real passwords, these just lead you through the site. I dont want to tell you what the passwords to level 1 and 2 are (unless u get really stuck!) coz that takes the fun out of things but remember one thing: the letter Donnie writes to Rose will tell you level one's password and level two's, preety darn confusing, coz they are the same password! hope this helps!

Does anyone know if the beginning of the film holds any significence? As in Donnie laid on the ground with his bike in the middle of the road..And when he gets up we see a bright white flash which religiougly signifies death.

This is also close to where the time portal opens.

Maybe (This is a pretty lame theory) Donnie died there by getting hit by a car on his bike..And liks what Gretchen and Donnies presentation said about putting glasses over peoples eyes and giving them better memories...

Well maybe God did this to Donnie so he would feel like he had a worth-while life, he didn't die alone and he saved the world.

So as soon as Donnie wakes up on the ground and gets on his bike..It is all a vision God has tricked him into seeing..Like a different version of your life flashing before your eyes.

Maybe...

Okay, sorry if these questions/statments have all ready been said, but I lost my patience reading and I had to post my thoughts.

1. Someone stated that when Donnie went downstairs to meet Frank the first time, Donnie looked through the worm hole and he saw the future: everyone dying and the world ending and that was they movie we watched; therefore he knew he was going to die and decided to back upstairs and go to sleep and allow the engine to fall on him.

I agree with this because:
a.) If the movie was actually happening and not just a glimpse into the Tangent Universe, then Donnie rode the engine through the wormhole and arrived in his bed to be flattened. But if this happened then what about the other Donnie--the one who is out there sleep walking? We've all seen Back to the Future, if you go back in time then your alternate self is there...so I believe that he did just see the future with Frank outside and went back to bed.
b.) Another reinforcement is that in the final scene with him laughing and going back to his bed, he's wearing the same clothes (blue teeshirt) that he would have been wearing that night.
c.) We don't actually see Donnie riding the engine throught the hole, do we?
d.) If he rode the engine through the hole, how did he pass the engine and arrive in his bed before the engine got there.

(*These last two subpoints are small because I guess Donnie could have jumped through the hole before the engine and that would cancel out c and d. But anyway.)

2. I read some questions as to why did Frank tell Donnie that he could "do anything he wants." I believe this was to let Donnie know that he was the Living Receiver (which according to the book they have special powers). This is just a clue to tell Donnie who he is and not any kind of statement that should make us believe that Frank is either Satan or God.

These are my thoughts--or better my ramblings. Peace.

One other thing. Why is it important that Donnie's mother is on the plane instead of Kitty? I can understand that he doesn't want his mother to die in the plane crash (I guess we assume it crashes after the engine falls off), and therefore that's another reason he must die--so save his mother. But what about his sister? She's one the plane, and it's going to crash. I would thing that if the f-ing engine falls off the plane it would crash, and most likely leave no survivors. Right? His sister dies too then?

OR now that I see my thoughts, I guess we can assume that because of Donnie's death, his sister never went to LA? And then she would not be on the plane. But that's a lot of assumptions.

Why, on Donnie's notes on the Philosophy of Time Travel, does it list Gretchen as one of the "Manipulated Dead?" She certainly doesn't appear to be in the same league as Frank (not even the same ballpark, to be frank - haha) and I can't make out the scribble that follows her name... help a brudder aht.

Mini tanks =- =- =- =-

i haven't been to the website yet, Joe (slowwwwww connection over here =\)... but "help a brudder aht" probably means "help a brother out".

It's the closest thing that is at least intelligible! =)

This site is great, it's so cool to read all the different interpretations of the movie. And if you listen to the director's comments, that's how he wanted it to be. It wasn't supposed to be a clear-cut film with anything that says "this is what it all means," the director says that he specifically cut down and deleted several scenes that would help direct the viewers toward one unified interpretation of the film. It's such a great movie because of this, because it's really whatever you choose to make of it. I have a lot of theories too, but they've pretty much all been posted here already =)

How about this...

For this interpretation to make sense you're going to have to assume a number of things for a moment. =)

Donnie Darko is Christ.
Frank is Satan.

Here goes.

Why is Darko Christ?
Alright, he dodges a bullet by being out of the house when the plane engine crashes through his room. While he's out on the field to meets Frank for the first time. Alright so 'christ' meets 'satan'. What does satan want? Come on who's seen Dogma =) The end of all life, in this particular case. Now 'satan' tells 'christ' that the world is coming to an end. What he doesn't tell him is that it's his decision to 'die' on a cross of tubular plane engine steel for humankind, or to LIVE and deny the existance of god, therefore stopping time altogether. Also, Donnie's being here is the second coming of christ, rapture, which fits pretty nicely with the whole end of the world thing. He's got the choice on whether it goes all the way or not though. He is sort of like an accidental christ. =\

The movie progesses and head to the bus stop and meet the little asian girl, (a pretty clear object of oppression). Now our good ol' Jesus, protector of innocence, tells the two fellas making fun of the oppressed to leave her alone.

We meet Frank (satan) in the bathroom, tempting Donnie (christ) to do whatever he wants. Smite god, =) in this particular case. He floods a pretty obvious symbol of organized religion and plants an axe, in an strangley symbolic dog's head.

So it appears that our Christ figure doesn't care too much for organized religion... it was of course satan is putting all these ideas in his head.

Love and Fear is a simplified -shake and bake dinner- religion, if you will. A sort of 'buy my book and get QUICK EASY SALVATION' deal. And it just so happens to be what the school is preaching. When Donnie talks about Patrick Swayze he calls him the antichrist, hehehe cause he's preaching nonsense. In the same way that organized religion has become nonsense compared to a broader and more analytical interpretation of the bible. =\ No offense intended, I promise.

Now stay with me cause this get's complicated. Alright, 'Love and Fear' (organized religion) preaches a response to any given situation in black and white. However, Donnie (christ) doesn't like this so much, as a matter of fact he thinks it's pretty stupid. And when he get's his situation card in class (And picks up that wallet on the sidewalk) and is asked to respond as to whether it's love or fear, his reaction is to burn down the source of the BS and expose it for what it is.... a metaphorical kiddy porn ring? I'm not gonna mention the catholic church, but hey.

Before he burns down the house he meets up with Frank in the movie theatre, watching a moving about the end of the world, hah hah hah... it's the subtle things. He receives his next mission there. So we gotta ask 'why does Frank (satan) want to destroy organized religion if it's such a bunk bi-product of the bible'? Well I guess it is still 'religion' which he's out to destroy, in any form. Especially if it's people with silly delusions of a black and white reality. I think Frank's a pretty cool guy too, I mean you gotta hand it to him, he has a great sense of humor.

Oh the Last Temptation of Christ was kind of a give away too. After this Frank doesn't get another chance to assign him with more evil missions before the end... Before he smites satan... err Frank I mean.

Darko's Mom.. (Mary? Who knows.. *sigh*) goes out of town and the house is left to him and his sister. Things are about to get pretty messy, however he has a last meeting with his psychologist, where we find out that Frank is 'going to kill'.. Hrm... Also the idea of dieing alone get's brought up, for the second time I believe. Darko is afriad to die alone, he is pretty undecided in his oppinion about whether god exists or not. If there is a god, well then of course you won't be alone after you die. There's no solid proof either way though. The pschycologist is one of the 'queens on the chessboard' though she doesn't come of as a key character. She's pivotal to the choice Donnie makes in the end.

Party time. Gretchen comes over and he and her get jiggy with it... so what's this he gives in to sin? I want to say no, but it's difficult to take it any other way. It's only at the last minute that he really wakes up though. Frank woke him up before, to a new reality, but it wasn't him making the decisions, he was being fed information and played like a pawn. He knows what he has to do. He's gotta save the human race, and He's gotta seek out Grandma Death ('Sparrow' is her last name and symbol of god's providence in literature). He gets to her house and enters her 'Cellardoor' to find the two boys laying in wait. Him and Gretchen get pulled out of the house, and when the point of the knife is at his throat it's time to call in a bit of 'Deus Ex Machina'. Frank rolls up (it's the same car that dropped off Donnie's sister, you'll notice) and runs over Gretch, but saves Donnie in the proccess. Why the heck would 'satan' save 'christ'... Because if he dies before the time is up than god can still exists, only him living denys the existance of god and stops time. =) Right, so now Donnie's enlightened, he knows what Frank is.

Bang.

Bye Frank or satan, or whoever. He tells the clown that everything is gonna be okay. And it is. He's decided. He heads up to the mountain and watches things get hot, and not surprisingly he wakes up in his room, ready to bite gods bullet and die for mankind. Laughing all the way, cause he isn't going to die alone.

I hope that made some semblence of sense to atleast one of you.

Consider also that if the 'parrallel universe' thing is like that of Back to the Future Donnie from the future is dead in his room, but Donnie from the present is sleeping on the gold course...?? Hm... =)

Also, the Hound statue is god, I'm pretty sure. =\

-e

1st: Second movie at the movie theater is "The last temptation of christ" making this movie an obvious metaphor for that.

2nd: Donnie sees the future when he looks into the sphere and his eyes get big. That's why he goes to grandma death. He then knows he must go to grandma death to find out what to do, since he knows his mom will die. He also sees that he will need to save Gretchen, since he says he needs to save her far before the car is even close.

3rd: I agree that Frank is the devil. If he were god simply giving donnie a choice as the first writer said, why wouldn't god give everyone who was going to die some random way a choice?

Here's the thing: no matter if Donnie kills himself or not, the world will end.

Otherwise, how would the plane engine fall on his house in the first place? The engine has been shot back into the past from the wreckage of the plane. The plane was destroyed because the world ended.

Regardless of whether Donnie's mother and sister are on that plane, the world ended.

The World didn't end. Or the official web-site would have told you about it like they do about Jim Cunningham killing himself.

Another thing I was just thinking about is Donnies speach about Smurfs. He says that Gargamal(sp?) sent the female smurf to the other smurfs to bring them down from within..But the goodness of the smurfs changed her..

Well..Maybe Frank was sent from hell by satan to warp Donnies mind and deny Gods existance..But he was overtaken by the goodnes..Thus him apologising in the theatre...And then he helped guide Donnie to save the world.

right... my and a few friend's have been discussing this film (and getting a headache for our trouble) and have come up with what we think happened.

Donnie was chosen (as the person who would be closest to the "artefact" when it landed) to close down the portal between the real and tangent universes, a rift that would destroy the universe at the time Frank gave him.

the universe was trying to right itself, and so manipulated events (Frank's appearence and the subsequent chain of events) to "convince" Donnie as the "living reciever" to choose the path that would lead the artefact back through the portal with the powers given to him (read the philosophy book on the website... i swear im not making this up)

by pushing the engine into the portal and killing himself, he collapses the tangent universe and stabalises the real universe, stopping the end of the world that was predicted, gretchen's death was the last thing to push him over the edge and make him sacrifice himself to save everything

thats my view anyway...

Ok, I have finished watching the film read all the comments and still have not got a clue. I understand that the director/writer want this film to be ambiguous and throw up discussion but surely there has to be a correct theory, the one that the writer sat down with and decided, so therefore there has to be enough clues in this film to quash all other possibilities. I now have a few questions to through out there to all the people that clearly have too much time on their hands (like me).

1. When Donnie dies and we see all of the people waking, why are they all crying, apart from the fat Asian girl? Could this be that they have all seen Donnie’s 'vision' of the future. (I.e. Cunningham knows that everyone else knows that he is into kiddie porn). So why is the Asian girl happy - possibly something to do with Donnie telling here it is all going to be ok?

2. Perhaps the Asian girl is some sort of recorder of time (this is totally out there theory) and this is why she has a book with Donnie Darko written on it.

3. Why right at the end does Gretch wave at Donnie’s mum like they know each other and share something?

4 Finally there is something strange about Drew's character and the science teacher, why is drew so in admiration of the fat girls show and why is it the fat girl sees drew screaming? Any significance.

Get back to me on these guys, cheers from the UK

Simon

could it be that by Donnie going back to kill himslef in effect has saved his own life?
if donnie hadnt survuved he wouldnt have need to go forward to kill himself, so he would just die, but having not carried on going forward the chain of events that triggered his death wouldnt have happened. so he dies period, but isnt trulyy alone, he is off in a parralel universe carrying out his life without the influence of frank to draw him to "the philosophy of time travel" so by killing himself in the "real time" he has undone it and created donnie time?
or something.
either that or im wrong. e mail me your moans at me!

I have too much to say about this movie, very little of which I fully understand.

Simon, I will try and give you my interpretation of a couple of your questions as quickly as possible.

I think that the movie carried another message aside from predestination/temptation/freewill, etc, with Donnie and Frank.

I thought that many of the characters that appeared in school actually were part of the writer+director's comment on school/the education system.

A. Enter the English teacher. She is a teacher who tries desperately to get across to her kids, but in her conversation with the principal she expresses her frustration with the kids: that most were too apathetic, no one cared anymore, and that the current teaching solutions were not working.

B. Enter the asian girl (Sorry, I can't recall her name). She represents the small student body who care, who look to succeed by school's standards, and who has not been lost in that SparkleMotion crap. She has a connection with Drew Barrymore's English Teacher, this portrayed in a couple scenes. Not mentioned sequentially, but the first being the English Teacher watching asian girl dancing as a graceful swan, demonstrating full appreciation for classic entertainment and the lack of shallow SparkleMotionDancing. Asian girl devotes plenty of time and work into the whole act, but nobody (as represented by the crowd) appreciates it, aside from the English Teacher who smiles and claps after the performance, then switches to a look of disgust when SparkleMotion comes on. The second scene would be when Drew Barrymore is fired and walks out, screaming "F********CK!". The girl is right by her, and the teacher realizes that they are in the same boat: One of loneliness, where they are not appreciated for the great qualities that they possess. When the English Teacher nods solemnly to the girl, I get the sense that she is saying "Yes, it has finally gone to hell." Also, the asian girl sitting underneath the bronze statue after the talent show obviously has some significance, but I'm not sure what it is, since I don't know what the statue represents.

C. Enter the gym teacher. Although I think she does play a role in the bigger picture of the movie, she also contributes a say in this second, minor issue. She is the simple-minded teacher who abides by supposed "morals" and bases her life and all actions on a scale of Fear and Love. She simplifies everything to the point where everything becomes black and white, and loses the second dimension: the grey between. She doesn't care whether her students learn anything, or if they have a problem with her teaching method. Instead, she just wants to make sure that all of them obey her standards and become ruled by them. I believe the Asian girl going up to read that card before Donnie has some significance, but again, what it is I don't know. Perhaps just a subtle message.

D. Enter Jim Cummingham. I think Jim plays a major role on both levels of this movie. I hold that Jim represents the Church, Catholic or otherwise. Some form of Christian Church I would think. Factors that lead to this belief:

1) He simplifies everything in black and white, everything is good/evil, Good Deed or Sin.
2) When Donnie gets up on the microphone he first asks him "How much did they pay you to come here?" Just like the school pays for a motivational speaker they don't need, so the people pay weekly tributes to a church they don't need to solve problems or understand God. This is why those kids got up there with their problems, like why her sister ate too much, why the kid didn't know what he wanted to be, and why the kid couldn't fight. Jim tried to solve these problems with bullshit answers about ridding yourself of fear and increasing love; just as the church solves everyone's problems by accepting God into your life and rejecting sin. Donnie speaks the truth and tells kids what they REALLY need to do, confirming this whole belief that Jim isn't needed there, and so the church isn't needed for people to accept God and solve their problems. This is taken one step further when Donnie, after admitting that he does have his problems, says that he thinks Jim is the antichrist. If my proposed representation of Jim is correct, this is a big statement. The author is in essence saying that the Church worsens the situation and loses our connection with God and with what we really need to do.
3)When Donnie burns down his house, he exposes Jim for what he really is: A collector of kiddy porn. Correlation between that and child molesting priests? I believe so, yes.
4)Jim is crying at the very end, before his house is burnt down and all. I don't know exactly what this signifies. Perhaps the true emptiness he is and feels.

E.I think SparkleMotion says something. What it's trying to stress is open to interpretation. Especially the gym teacher's involvement in it..."I doubt your commitment to SParkleMotion"...the best quote in the movie.

F.The punk who threatens Donnie in the bathroom and nearly kills him at the end? Someone have an idea as to what he represents?

is the red jogging man the devil to franks god. ok frank draws donnie away from gods way and into his own way thus saving his life but setting the chain of motions whih would have killed him. he shows donnie the way to get out and be the hero. "How do you know im not a super hero"
the reason donnie goes back to die is because he loved the girl too much to see her die and sees himself as the cause for her death, so if he didnt love her he wouldnt go back to save her thus destroying the world. so the devil guy is there at moments of great sensuality between the two he is there in the woods, he is at the party and is running at the begginning of the film. so is he trying to upset the chemistry of the two, and what frank did he did to save the world and took on a form which would show donnie what he would become to scare him. like daveboard said he kills himself to save himself and the world and the girl and his parents and the english teachers job.
i think im starting to read way too deep into this!

hi there guys !
have just watched this amazing film for the second time and boy is it a mind-fuck ! first of all i haven't seen the DVD but am eagarly awaiting it ! second of all after reading all these comments i still think the tangent universe happens and its not a dream. but asside from all the major questions going on about religious ties and so on what really bugs me is the man in the red jogging suit ? before seeing this film for the first time i had heard that i should look out for the jogging suit man and also to an announcement made over the tannoy at the airport, so what the hell is going on ?! ( seems to be the question of the day ! )

cheers, any response is welcome and forgive me if i dont make any sense or a valid point as i have just watched the film and its 4 in the morning !
P.S i enjoyed the idea that the chinese girl is a "recorder of time" rather than just a girl with a crush on donnie ?!

I don't know what to make of the man in the red jogging suit. He interrupts the two moments Donnie and Gretchen have together. It must be something related to their relationship -- awkwardness perhaps?

IS THERE A LEVEL PAST LEVEL THREE??

There is NO level after level three. read my response on the 25 march. ive tried to explain why there isnt a level four...

cheers for the response doanld, although i still find it a mystery as to why i got told to look out for him ! oh well..... generally i think the whole film is a paradox so trying to form a final theory to what is going on is going to be impossible ! but hey as people have been saying, the film is produced to make you think and form your own opinions. obviously more thought is required.....by the way does anyone know of any future projects the director is going to embark upon ?

The guy in the red jogging suit is from the FBI..He is so astounded that a Jet engine can appear from no-where that he is following Donnie to try and find out..Thats why you see him at the end when Donnies body is being taken out.

Ah, I see Pritch. Is that a prediction or a fact?