Creeptober Day 2: Donnie Darko
On October 2nd, Donnie Darko was told the world will end. Also on October 2nd, we watched Donnie Darko as part of Creeptober.
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For day two of Creeptober, we chose Donnie Darko (2001), a movie that must be watched on October 2nd. Why is this date so important? Because October 2nd is when Donnie is told that the world will end in just a few weeks time. But Creeptober is just getting underway, and the unsettling atmosphere of Donnie Darko is a nice way to ease us into some of the scarier movies later in our movie marathon!
Read on for our thoughts on Donnie Darko as well as a recap of the movie, and join the conversation on our Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
Reacting to Donnie Darko
I first saw Donnie Darko close to when it was originally released in theaters, and it’s always stuck with me. It’s a movie that I really enjoyed back then, but I haven’t revisited it many times in the years since. I’m happy we added it to Creeptober so I had an excuse to watch it again, because this most recent viewing rekindled my admiration for the film.
My favorite aspect of Donnie Darko is that it leaves its meaning open for interpretation. I watched the director’s cut this time which apparently explains more than the original version (it’s been so long since I’ve seen the theatrical cut that I don’t remember the differences). But even with more explanation, the movie doesn’t try to tell the viewer exactly what to think.
Jake Gyllenhall appreciates this part of Donnie Darko too. He had this to say in the foreword of The Donnie Darko Book published in 2003:
What is Donnie Darko about? I have no idea, at least not a conscious one. But somehow I’ve always understood it. The most amazing thing about making this movie, for me, was the fact that no one—including the man from whose mind it emerged—ever had a simple answer to this question. And that, ironically, is the very thing the film is actually about. There is no single answer to any question.
So, rather than trying to explain what Donnie Darko is, I’m just going to tell you what I get out of it. To me, the movie is a striking depiction of the feeling of angst. Specifically teen angst, but it is still relatable to anyone of any age who feels out of place. Like they don’t belong and everything with the world around them is wrong. It’s the sense of dread where you feel like the world is going to end if you don’t figure yourself out. Thinking along these lines can get pretty dark, especially when you try to rationalize the ending and the way in which Donnie finally figures out where his place in the world is. I enjoy dark movies though, so I like this interpretation.
I also enjoy watching the movie from a more literal perspective. The time travel and tangent universe ideas are well thought out. There’s a bit of religious allegory mixed in with the science fiction, and it all comes together extremely well. As complicated as some people make Donnie Darko sound, it comes together quite nicely when you try piecing together the sci-fi elements.
Also, the philosophical elements are strong in Donnie Darko. The movie touches on fate and free will a lot, going so far as to visually depict fate in the form of water “spears” that show Donnie people’s motions before they happen. Interestingly, Donnie sees his own spear, and even though he is conscious of it, he still follows it. Does this mean that fate is inescapable, or did Donnie choose to not escape his fate? Going back to the beginning of the movie, altering fate is potentially what created the tangent universe Donnie experiences. But was that truly an alteration, or was it fated to happen the way that it did?
The movie’s creator, Richard Kelly, gives us no answers. Well, as Jake Gyllenhaal said, there is no single answer. And that’s why I enjoy Donnie Darko so much.
Donnie Darko – A Recap
Trying to explain what Donnie Darko is about to someone who hasn’t seen it is a futile effort. It’s not a movie that has easy answers, nor does it have a single answer. It’s a movie that will mean different things to different people, so what it’s “about” is up to the viewer’s own interpretation. But here’s a quick recap of the main plot—the events—that occur in Donnie Darko.
Donnie is a troubled teenager living in what appears on the surface to be a stereotypical suburban setting. In the early morning hours of October 2nd, 1988, he rises from bed and leaves his house, following the voice of Frank, a mysterious person wearing a grotesque rabbit costume. Frank tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. While Donnie is away from home, a jet engine from an airplane falls from the sky, seemingly coming from nowhere. The engine crashes into Donnie’s empty bedroom. He has avoided death, but the next four weeks grow increasingly bizarre.
Donnie continues to see Frank as he begins to lose his grasp on reality. Or maybe he’s seeing reality for what it really is. Either way, Donnie, while being somewhat guided by Frank, begins acting on certain impulses. Donnie’s actions have dramatic effects on the people around him, rippling outward which further causes both intended and unintended reactions.
At the same time, Donnie investigates the strange phenomena he’s been experiencing. This leads him towards the idea of time travel as a partial explanation for what is happening to him. Donnie’s therapist suggests to his parents that he is having daylight hallucinations as part of his inability to cope with the world. No one seems to have a complete answer, but in the end Donnie knows what he must do.
Keep Up with Creeptober!
- The entire list of 31 movies is here: Join Us for Creeptober: 31 Horror Movies in 31 Days
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