Introduction
A challenge is like a change, is like death, and is like a choice, it is inevitable and a personal experience. However much people will try to avoid it, they must encounter it at least once during their lifetime. Donnie Darko’s film is such an informative piece of work that pictures the inevitability of challenges. Donnie Darko, the 2001 American movie, directed and written by Richard Kelly is set in October 1988. The writer employs actors like Donnie Darko, the protagonist of the film, Frank, a threatening rabbit, Jim, a motivational speaker, Gretchen Ross, Donnie’s classmate, and girlfriend, among others. It stands out as among the many available ‘independent’ movies whose quality lies between, very bad and appealing descent. The film is rich in themes like death, love, resurrection, time travel, alternate universe, to mention a few, as the following plot unfolds.
Plot Summary
The film focuses on the life of a high school kid, Donnie Darko, who has a good deal of unique challenges ranging from schizophrenia, which results due to his failure to take medicine, through sleepwalking, to isolation, both by his family members and schoolmates. Gretchen says, “Some people are just born with tragedy in their blood” (Darko), referring to Donnie, her classmate. His mental disorders, coupled with the aforementioned problems, are the reasons behind his living in a private world. He feels that he is living in a world of his own, a problem that is evident as the movie opens in the morning when he is found asleep in the middle of the road. As he wakes up in this place, he is the least surprised by what could have brought him there. He immediately goes home. One night as he is asleep, he is awakened by a commanding imaginary voice that demands him to get out of the bed, a command that he obeys by going to a neighboring golf course. There, he meets Frank, the demon-like six-foot-tall rabbit, who tells him the exact remaining time before the end of the world, which according to him, is near.
Donnie’s obedience to the voice turns out to be the root source of his salvation, following a “jet engine from a commercial jetliner falls from the sky through the roof of his house, and into his bedroom” (Darko), which would have otherwise killed him, had he been found asleep. The end of the world remains a puzzle to him. Truth is the cry of all and Donnie is not an exception. As days elapse, the end comes closer and closer. He attempts to find out the truth behind Frank’s message. Donnie accompanied by Gretchen and his two other friends, consult Roberta Sparrow. However, upon their arrival, they encounter a group of thugs with a car, who kill Gretchen and the two friends, revealing some signs of truth that Donnie is searching for. Frank is also seen as the car’s door opens, allowing Donnie to kill him also, declaring “…everything is going to be okay” (Darko). To reverse what happens in the tangent world, by saving its people, his mother, sister, Gretchen, and past-Frank inclusive, Donnie gets rid of his past self. Donnie now concurs with Roberta Sparrow’s words “Every living creature on this earth dies alone” (Darko), which is the truth. The roles of the movie’s key characters stand well portrayed as expounded next.
Key Character Roles
Donnie, the hero, depicts a Christ-like character. He relies on God and is ever searching for the truth. His role as a savior stands out. He says, “I will swallow the children and will deliver them from the kingdom of pain. I will deliver the children back to their doorsteps. And send the monsters back to the underground…” (Darko), his attempts to save his mother, sister, Gretchen, his friends, among others, is seen when he kills Frank to bring them back to life by reversing what had happened in the tangent universe. Frank’s devilish role stands out well in the film. He is ever wandering at night. He wakes Donnie up with commanding abusive words. For instance, he says, “Wake up Donnie… Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?” (Darko) He is also the cause of the death of Gretchen, his friends, his mother, as well as the tragic accident, which are no more than the activities of the devil. In addition, Roberta Sparrow plays well her role as God in whom, Donnie relies on. Donnie declares, “Though, he slays me, I will trust in him” (Darko). He has revealed much to Donnie, including the mystery of death. She tells him, “Every living thing dies alone” (Darko), which are no more than God’s words, hence, properly developing this role through Donnie. The key scenes depict some employed film techniques as the next paragraph explains.
Film Techniques
Throughout the film, a good number of techniques stand out. For instance, Donnie Darko has used image patterns, which incarcerates the concentration of the viewer. A working illustration stands out in the scenario of Kelly and Hitchcock. As Kelly expresses his love towards Hitchcock, there is “…a close variation on the staircase and chandelier of…” (Darko), making the viewer understand Kelly’s intentions. In addition, there appears to be a pattern in the way Donnie is pictured smiling both at the beginning and the end of the movie. In addition, music, as a technique comes in handy in the film. As Kelly expresses the aforementioned love, there is some well-pitched ‘Duran Duran song’ entitled ‘notorious’ that can be heard from the background matching well with Kelly’s proceedings. Innovative casting as a technique is clear in the movie through Karen Pomeroy, the English teacher. Kelly fixes a visual knob in the bicycles of the kids who go to Roberta Sparrow during the night. The technique of parallel editing is not left out in the movie. For instance, Frank, the rabbit, who appears, like Alice in Wonderland, is parallel with Water ship Down of Richard Adams, since, as Frank appears to be a prophet, so are Adam’s rabbits.
It’s worth noting that, these techniques play a major role in theme development.
The theme of love stands out clear in the film. Kelly’s technique of image patterns enhances this theme as he varies the staircase and the chandelier. The variation reveals Kelly’s expression of his love towards Hitchcock, hence contributing to the theme. Moreover, a similar pattern is seen when Kelly depicts his love for The Graduates through Donnie’s mother’s question, “Where do you go at night?” (Darko). Ben’s mother is asking this same question. The technique of parallel editing enhances the theme of an alternate world. The prophetic rabbits, as used by Kelly, bring the issue of another world, following their predictions.
In conclusion, Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko is a piece of work, whose composition captures the attention of the viewers. Through the different characters used, Kelly has managed to address a good number of issues running from love through death to an alternate world. Donnie, the hero, pictured as a high school kid, surrounded by challenges, in the beginning, turns out to be an intelligent, bold, and God-fearing character, who after experiencing a narrow escape, realizes that death is inevitable and ought not to be feared and that each person dies alone. Kelly’s utilization of young scholars as characters shows how his message is strictly directed to students and how they ought to learn a lot from the characters. For instance, through Donnie, they can learn that there is actually a place, a tangent universe, better than the present, and is only known to those who realize the existence and the sovereignty of God.
Works Cited
Donnie Darko. Dir. Richard Kelly. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2001. Film.