Donnie Darko Doesn't Make Any Sense *Spoilers*

[FPLOON]

-Snip by Donnie Darko Production-

Basically what I gather from watching this particular film for the first time... It makes sense, however reading about it beforehand would fuck up the initial "sense" part of the movie-viewing experience once you do see it for the first time...

Honestly, this is one of those movies that almost has to be seen 100% blind as fuck about anything regarding this particular movie to even think about it's overall plot in general... Otherwise, you start taking the parts you've read/heard about and applying them to the movie as you're watching it and you end up more dazed and confused than Drew Barrymore... Add that on top of realizing that, to some, it's like jumping into an event already in progress without any prior/standard introduction[footnote]Like watching Season 1 of Adventure Time... or just watching Adventure Time for the first time...[/footnote], then, at best, it's really not going to resonate with everyone on even the simplistic scale...

Overall, it's a movie that's doomed because people read up on it, even though this is not that kind of movie to even do such a thing because it dooms the pure experience of the theatrical version of the film, at least... The Director's Cut's another bag of Barrymores altogether, which regardless of what you heard about that, you should still watch it...

 

[kris40k]

To me it was pretty simple - Donnie Darko is killed by the falling jet engine right at the start of the film. The tangent universe or whatever you want to call it is only experienced by him. It gives him the chance to get a girlfriend, experience a bit of life, and ponder the mysteries of the universe whilst he's unknowingly just experiencing his own seperate universe on borrowed time. This is why the weirdness ramps up the longer it goes on - increasingly becoming more like a dream than reality.

You could break the entire thing down to "All a dream" pretty easily, with Donnie having a dream just before he dies. His dream is simply a mish-mash of odd things and pieces of his life (His teacher raves on about Swayze's charatcer, he saw Gretchen riding her bike around and had a bit of a crush, he knew his sister had a boyfriend, they're reading The Destructors in class, which inspires his vandalism in the dream as wish fulfillment, etc).

So he hears the jet engine falling in his sleep, and subconsciously fabricates a dream of avoiding it, before finally waking up to the reality.

Et. al

Spoiler: No

The alternate timeline happened. Some remember it, some do not. Maybe they just think it was a dream, but for some it felt very real. Frank for instance, remembers something of it, and maybe he'll stop drinking and driving. The pedophile remembers it, and maybe he'll clean up or turn himself in or something. Definitely woke up having a bit of a breakdown over his arrest. Donnie's girlfriend does not remember it. Perhaps that way so Donnie could spare her the trauma of her death, or the pain of losing him when his death had to occur.

Donnie Darko was a great movie. Not flawless, but I loved it.

S.Darko is shit.

 

[Halla Burrica]

I thought that the entire movie was Donnie being crushed by the jet engine, but he makes up an alternate timeline where he doesn't die in his mind, which is not too difficult since when you're about to die it feels like time is slowing down (though it really just is your brain getting an overload of information in the realisation of your death) plus he's schizofrenic so that leap of logic wouldn't be too hard for him. So 95% of the movie is just in Donnies head, trying to hold on to a reality of him being not dead which just creates chaos. Eventually he sees that he's gonna die, so he accepts it and the dream ends.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

I saw Donnie Darko once, and neither expected it to, nor cared if it didn't, make any sense. I knew in advance it was way weird, and just enjoyed the surreal creepiness, which it delivered. Not in spades, but it had a good balance of weird shit and everyday life. Kind of like The Machinist. Anyone remember that? 'Tis a fine film.

 

[Hieronymusgoa]

I wish that I could tell you that Donnie Darko actually made sense, and the critics left it alone. I wish I could tell you that, but Hollywood is not fairy tale world.

At first I thought I missed something. It had some cool scenes, and it felt like it should mean something. I mean, End of Eva confused me too, but after a few viewings it made perfect sense. Unfortunately Donnie Darko is, indeed, a pretentious film. It's clear that the director wanted to make an "art" film without actually understanding how art works. In fact, I would say it's one of the worst films I've ever seen.

Not because it's not entertaining. In a way it is. It's because it is actually impossible to understand the plot without reading a books worth of outside material. The film literally does not give enough information to understand the story. That is completely unacceptable, the film should be able to stand on its own merits without outside research. If the director can't weave essential plot points into the narrative, then he's a failed director.

...

Totally with you. The funny thing is that I really "liked" it (it was edgy and dark and even a bit scary (to me)) but was constantly harrassed by friends who loved it because I refused to see a really big and impressive intellectual story hidden in it. I don't think there was ever a movie which gets people from 0 to 100 in seconds when you say that you thought it was "ok" because they feel insulted by you not seeing what they felt they saw.


(For some time I just wrote "I hate Donnie Darko" for shitsngiggles at the end of my dating profiles. It did work as in getting me a lot of (insulting) messages. That doesn't work with any other movie)

 

[Fox12]

I wish that I could tell you that Donnie Darko actually made sense, and the critics left it alone. I wish I could tell you that, but Hollywood is not fairy tale world.

At first I thought I missed something. It had some cool scenes, and it felt like it should mean something. I mean, End of Eva confused me too, but after a few viewings it made perfect sense. Unfortunately Donnie Darko is, indeed, a pretentious film. It's clear that the director wanted to make an "art" film without actually understanding how art works. In fact, I would say it's one of the worst films I've ever seen.

Not because it's not entertaining. In a way it is. It's because it is actually impossible to understand the plot without reading a books worth of outside material. The film literally does not give enough information to understand the story. That is completely unacceptable, the film should be able to stand on its own merits without outside research. If the director can't weave essential plot points into the narrative, then he's a failed director.

...

Totally with you. The funny thing is that I really "liked" it (it was edgy and dark and even a bit scary (to me)) but was constantly harrassed by friends who loved it because I refused to see a really big and impressive intellectual story hidden in it. I don't think there was ever a movie which gets people from 0 to 100 in seconds when you say that you thought it was "ok" because they feel insulted by you not seeing what they felt they saw.


(For some time I just wrote "I hate Donnie Darko" for shitsngiggles at the end of my dating profiles. It did work as in getting me a lot of (insulting) messages. That doesn't work with any other movie)

That's funny.

I honestly do like it as one of those guilty pleasure movies. It's fun in a weird way, and I'd probably watch it again with someone, maybe around Halloween. It had good humor, and a pretty good soundtrack.

It's just... needlessly vague. I don't really consider that artistic. It can be, if done well, but I don't think something is super deep just because the meaning isn't clear.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I don't think there was ever a movie which gets people from 0 to 100 in seconds when you say that you thought it was "ok" because they feel insulted by you not seeing what they felt they saw.

I've actually experienced this over The Godfather. I don't hate the movie at all but I've had friends go off on me because I don't see it as they do, and they go from 0 to unreasonable in Planck Time... in other words near instantaneously.

 

[Auron225]

I was highly let down by that movie, given that my brother is a major film buff and he claims it to be amongst his absolute favourites.

The plot didn't make any damn sense, all of the characters were outright unlikeable and the whole thing just depressed the shit out of me. I cannot conjure up any reason why anyone would praise it for anything.

 

[DeaDRabbiT]

Apparently, it heavily depends on what version you've seen. The director's cut supposedly 'fixed' a lot.

I have only seen the normal version. Founf it was something in between. Regarding plot hole, with head canon you could explain this, and basically everything ever in any fictional universe, but yes, by itself and rationally it doesn't make any sense.

Own both, seen them both numerous times.

The Director's cut is the poorer film of the two.

What's been said here multiple times is Donnie in a nutshell. The point is that it's unexplainable. It's smoke and mirrors. The science is not quantifiable, yet here is this teenage boy that can visualize the time stream, and the viewer is sort of just supposed to be good with that.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I watched both the original and director's cut, the original is better paced with better music (Echo and the bunnymen!) I cannot imagine reading any fan theories, nor would i ever want to. To see it blind is best. But..obviously when it means more to some that tell everyone else how great it is, you're gonna get the people that hate the lack of a stable plot. But that is just a marmite type opinion, it is a marmite film. I am definately a lover of it's constant uncertainty (screw s.darko). It is probably too late for most people nowdays to go in blind, internet expectations ruin everything, i tell you! To this day i still think about that film and still learn from it. This thread alone has resurfaced some thoughts and theories. But...eh, some don't like that sort of vibe. You can't change that.

 

[Kyrian007]

I really liked Donny Darko. I've liked all of Richard Kelly's movies so far (yes, I liked Southland Tales.) They're a good journey and they don't ever hold back for those viewers who aren't on board. And yes, elements of the movie don't make sense. It's a good thing then, that its a work of fiction and not a biopic or something. Its nice (I guess) when a story makes some kind of logical sense, but it's hardly necessary. In nonfiction, you have to stick to the facts and remain grounded in reality. Events in FICTION on the other hand happen because that's the way the author SAYS it happened. They don't have to make logical connections from one event to another, they don't have to remain "internally consistent," in short... they don't have to make sense. They CAN obviously, there's nothing wrong with that. But there isn't any rule saying it has to.

Is it pretentious? Maybe so. That has to do with intent though, and in Darko (and even more so in Tales) I never really got that impression. I never felt like the movie was trying to tell me I wasn't "good" or "smart" enough to "get it." I've seen movies that do that. M. Night Shamalammaulon (however you spell it) movies give me that impression. That they have pretentions to a level of filmmaking that they actually DON'T achieve. Kelly movies don't give me that vibe. There's something more carefree in their attitude toward storytelling. It's not as easy to spot in Darko, but the casting in Southland Tales and the straightforward setup in The Box tells the tale. "Oh" says the naysayer, "Southland Tales is so pretentious, it thinks its some really high concept art that's too smart for the room." "Really" I reply, "so that's why they chose to cast the main characters as Sarah Michelle Gellar and THE ROCK?" It's harder to see in Darko, that thing or moment where the movie reveals isn't taking itself too seriously. Maybe it's the dude in the bunny suit, still not sure. But I know that I liked it. It had great atmosphere, interesting characters, and after it was all over with it was fun to think about and ponder over. Was it the best movie ever, no. Was it the smartest film ever, no. Was it way better than most of the shlock pissed out to the big screen these days, yeah. Is that saying much, not really.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I was under the impression that Donnie was delusional, schizophrenic or psychotic, and that the realness of the events isn't of much importance.

This is how I interpreted it... That the complex scenario was just the way Donnie saw the world... how he always tried to add hidden meaning to everything around him. How he wanted everything to make sense, but was confronted with more and more complex scenarios that lead him to conjure baffling explanations for everything going on.

That the movie was just how he basically tried to explain his own random and unjustified death as having a much higher purpose and saving the world.

 

[Hieronymusgoa]

I don't think there was ever a movie which gets people from 0 to 100 in seconds when you say that you thought it was "ok" because they feel insulted by you not seeing what they felt they saw.

I've actually experienced this over The Godfather. I don't hate the movie at all but I've had friends go off on me because I don't see it as they do, and they go from 0 to unreasonable in Planck Time... in other words near instantaneously.

I do hope you know this then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wMQz3iJDzE

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I don't think there was ever a movie which gets people from 0 to 100 in seconds when you say that you thought it was "ok" because they feel insulted by you not seeing what they felt they saw.

I've actually experienced this over The Godfather. I don't hate the movie at all but I've had friends go off on me because I don't see it as they do, and they go from 0 to unreasonable in Planck Time... in other words near instantaneously.

I do hope you know this then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wMQz3iJDzE

Yeah its familiar but much much more civil than my friends are. I quit discussing movies with them because of how it devolves into a mudslinging attack (one-sided and not mine) much like a political or religious discussion. Its as if I had told a Catholic that Jesus was just a really good con-artist or something... holy crap.

 

[the December King]

I remember, we were really drunk a few months back, and we were watching just whatever dvd we could find. We watched Coraline, Wreck-it Ralph, and Donnie last, and holy shit we had cracked th code.we layed out timelines, cross-dated, Adam vomited on Cam's head (not relevant but funny), Everything all made sense. The next day, well, none of us could remember it. Who knows, maybe it's a movie that can be understood through the wisdom of Bacchus.

This totally reminds me of the time that a good friend and I got smashed on red wine and watched David Lynch's Lost Highway, twice, in a row...


...and after all was said and done, learned nothing.

With Donnie Darko, I can see the whole "happened all in the fremptosecond before soul 'transference/transcendence/discorporation/death from an aviation accident' thing, or a weird groundhog-style loop to allow the protagonist to finish something. Or it was a David Lynch dressed in something else, a senseless spiral that presented as more of a showy deep piece.

 

[lechat]

You summed up my feelings on the film pretty perfectly. The film makes less and less sense the more I analyze it, and seems more and more hollow and pretentious. I'm sure it probably resonates with certain brooding angsty adolescents, but I can't stand it.

I think this may be the key. I remember seeing it as an angsty teenager and it resonated with me but when I rewatched it a few years later it just seemed like the usual teenage bullshit drama that adults can't stand about teenagers.

Been a while since I seen it but from memory the whole movie is basically just "the universe" preparing donnie to make the sacrifice and stay in bed because it was his destiny to die and/or the world would be a better place without him, apart from that whole kiddie porn dungeon thing......

 

[Pseudonym]

I don't expect timetravel plots to make any sense on a plotlevel. Pretty much all of them that I've seen are bizarre. Sometimes timetravel allows for certain storylines though so I'll excuse the plotholes as long as they aren't focussed on too much. I do remember liking some of the themes that were adressed. I found the charactar of Donnie interesting and quite likable at the end. I do think this movie falls into a certain category of very good and smart and insightful but marred by basic presentation problems (and presentation can hardly be overlooked when discussing a film) which cloud everything in fog and vagueness. Similar to what I've seen of metal gear solid. A lot of clever ideas without the polish those ideas could and should have had. It gives the faint sense that the author is halfway too imcompetent and halfway too stubborn to properly present the story.

To be fair, I barely remember half of it and I keep confusing it with another dark timetravel movie I saw closely before it that I can't remember the name of.

 

[briankoontz]

The core motivation of Time Travel is to set things right. Time Travel became popular at the same time as an apocalyptic understanding of the world - it progressed from industrialization through nuclear armageddon finally to climate change, with time travel (and schizophrenia) becoming more and more popular as an understanding of the approaching death of the world deepened.

Time Travel contrasts with the classic view of the world, which is one of Order that needs to have that order maintained. Anything that disrupts the order is considered a defect, such as Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia, like time travel, is an attempt to set a disordered, dying world right again. It's core motivation is to save the world. Like every other method of saving the world, it fails at every point up until it succeeds.

Donnie Darko resonates with the audience in a way that the same material would not have if it had been made 40 years ago, or even more so 70 years ago before the creation of nuclear weapons.