Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko is the first movie by writer and director Richard Kelly[?]. The movie is a noirish science fiction film and psychological thriller about a boy named Donnie Darko who, after narrowly escaping death, has visions of a giant bunny rabbit which predicts when the world will end.

The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal[?] (Bubble Boy[?]) as Donnie, Jena Malone[?], Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell[?] and Patrick Swayze[?]. Since its release on home video, Donnie Darko has become a cult film.

Plot Synopsis

Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers

Donnie Darkos plot is somewhat confusing, and some of the events border on paradoxical. The engine of a jetliner aparently falls from the sky and lands in Donnie's bedroom. Donnie is not killed, however, because he was told by a voice to leave the house. The audience soon learns that the voice belongs to a human-sized bunny named Frank.

The alternate universe is highly unstable and will collapse in 28 days. The only way to prevent that is for Donnie to return to the original universe and die as intended. Some viewers believe the Bunny exists to convince Donnie to die, by making him shoot Frank, etc.

Much of the backstory is explained on the official Donnie Darko website, which acts as a combination puzzle and teaser for the movie. It shows that Donnie was institutionalized before the events of the movie occur, and other details that help in explaining the goings-on of the movie. The director's commentary on the DVD also gives crucial details, such as the point of departure between the real world and the alternate universe--not when the engine crashes through the ceiling, but instead a few minutes before, when Donnie is called out to meet Frank for the first time.

External links

• Donnie Darko (http://www.donniedarko.com) official film website
• Donnie Darko interpretations (http://www.stagingpoint.com/archives/000053) at The Staging Point
• Plot discussion at TonyStuff (http://www.tonystuff.co.uk/darko-spoilers.htm)
• Online copy of Philosophy of Time Travel (http://www.tonystuff.co.uk/darko-time.htm)
• IMDB page (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0246578)
• Rotten Tomatoes Page (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/DonnieDarko-1110922/)