[HappySquared]

So tell me what is this about?



and what's with the skeleton costume?

[sharon_marmon]

It was a Halloween party and that is his girlfriend. I believe at that point she is dead.

[HappySquared]

Aw, her gf died? She looks heavy, by the way Jake is carrying her.

[sharon_marmon]

Originally Posted by Shnicky Aw, her gf died? She looks heavy, by the way Jake is carrying her.

She actually looks pretty small in the movie. Maybe Jake had to do the shot more than once and got tired.

[Mary-Lynn]

Originally Posted by sharon_marmon She actually looks pretty small in the movie. Maybe Jake had to do the shot more than once and got tired.

yeah that would be my guess, Jenna looks tiny to me

[angry little lawyer]

In the DVD commentary, Jake said that Jenna was heavy. She's thin...but maybe Jake was just not used to carrying people like that?

[HappySquared]

Originally Posted by angry little lawyer In the DVD commentary, Jake said that Jenna was heavy. She's thin...but maybe Jake was just not used to carrying people like that?

That explains it. He didn't have his current bod yet in that movie, but I'm sure if he were to carry her again these days, it'll all be okay.

Okay, so people say that this movie is a confusion. How come? Can somebody tell me what it's all about?

[sharon_marmon]

Originally Posted by Shnicky That explains it. He didn't have his current bod yet in that movie, but I'm sure if he were to carry her again these days, it'll all be okay. Okay, so people say that this movie is a confusion. How come? Can somebody tell me what it's all about?

Gay, everyone has a different view on what the movie is about. After watching the Director's Cut, I think it's about everyone around him being stuck in a time travel loop, and to save them he sacrifices his own life. Along the way, he deals with his own psychosis.

It really is a movie you have to watch multiple times to "get". Then you may never really get it.

[tav552]

so finally bought the movie. i was like, hey for 10 bucks!

so i'm pretty much confused but at the same time i have a sort of understanding that is at a loss for words. know what i mean?? i think i'm confusing myself even more.

my question is: what exactly happened at the end??

hello to Sharon and Gay....and all the other Donnie fans!

[sharon_marmon]

I found a great website to help everyone understand Donnie Darko. Just keep in mind that obviously it has spoilers.


Donnie Darko

ETA I haven't read everything at the site, but it was recommended to me.

[bring me home]

Confusing is a good word for the movie the first time. But the second time..I got it

And hey..didn't mean to double post earlier..I'm surprised I did that.

[tav552]

hey Jenn

thanks Sharon, for the website....i need to check that out later

[angry little lawyer]

My version of the explanation of this movie is that Donnie has been chosen (by someone-who it is is left up for us to decide) to become the Living Reciever whose job it is to return the Artifact (Engine) to the Primary Universe. Time is usually fluid and works well but sometimes things go wonky and objects become unstuck from the fabric of time/space and go hurtling off. When this happens, it lands in a Tangent Universe which is basically a clone universe with the exact same people and environments as the original Primary Universe. However, the co-existance of the Tangent Universe and the Primary Universe is a big cosmic no-no and sooner or later the two Universes will collide and destroy both universes and everything and everyone in them in a giant black hole of non-existance. A Living Reciever is chosen to return the Artifact to the Primary Universe from whence it came and avert the disaster. Once the artifact is returned to its rightful place the two Universes coalesce and become one again. The Manipulated Living and the Manipulated Dead on the Tangent Universe are there to make sure the Living Reciever does his job and returns the artifact.

Frank is a Manipulated Dead and sets an Insurance Trap to ensure that Donnie returns the artifact and saves everyone. Namely, he makes sure Donnie falls in love with Gretchen and then sets it up so that she dies so that Donnie will make the right choice to return the artifact in order to save her life in the Primary Universe. Seems harsh but in the deleted scenes, its seems that Donnie hasn't made his choice yet on whether or not to save everyone (The scene where Donnie doesn't see the harm in letting the rabbits die in the movie) and Frank pushes Donnie to care about someone so that he'll think the Universe is worth saving.

According to the Philosophy of Time Travel book by Roberta Sparrow the Living Reciever has Super-Strength (as shown by Donnie driving an axe into a solid bronze statue) The ability to get into locked places (The School, Perv-teacher's house) Telekinesis (or at least control over metal as shown by Donnie ripping the engine off his the airplane at the end of the movie to return it to the Primary U) and apparently control over fire and water (though this wasn't shown in the movie)

My only question is if we're supposed to believe that the jet engine that crash-landed on his house was the same one that was on the airplane his mom and sister was on or was that engine just the Tangent U version of the Primary U engine? For some reason Donnie had to send that particular engine into the portal.

Also, there is a way to look at the movie that doesn't involve time traveling backwards. At the moment that Donnie is "chosen" the Primary Universe freezes and Donnie is sent to the Tangent Universe to fix everything. In that sense Donnie is sort of time traveling to the future (because the "real" Primary Universe is frozen while the Tangent Universe keeps going forward) this correlates with Donnie telling his Doctor that Frank told him to "follow him into the future." At the end Donnie isn't so much "traveling backwards in time" as he is undoing the Tangent Universe and being plopped back into the Primary Universe from where it left off.

this movie is nuts

[HappySquared]

Wow! Now, that sound interesting and confusing at the same time. Thanks for explaining your views further. That helps, in a way to further explain why all the buzz. Sounds like a philosophic movie, I like that. I love movies that make me think. I'm definitely going to look beyond the Philippines for this. I'm just waiting for my credit card to free some credits.

[Honey-Girl]

Not a huge fan of Jake (sorry). But I always wanted to see Donnie Darko, because my favorite actress was at the premiere of it and she liked it. Finally I watched it last month and I love this movie! It is a bit confusing, but great. I hope I will get this movie here in Germany soon!