Donnie Darko (2001)
“I promise, that one day, everything's going to be better for you.” – Donnie
Word of mouth for Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko spread predominantly among the college crowd, and I would be hard-pressed to find someone over thirty that has even seen the film. Regardless, I cannot deny the impact that this film had on me the first time a saw it. This impact has only deepened upon further viewings. Perhaps it is the themes of Donnie Darko which appeal most to certain generations and groups, despite the fact that the story is set in the early 1980s. It is essentially a coming-of-age story of a misunderstood and wholly confused teenager who has been receiving cryptic messages about his destiny and the fate of the universe. The need for acceptance and purpose is not only expressed through Donnie: all the characters are out-of-place in their own way. Cherita wears earmuffs to block the constant criticism she feels victim to, but this only acts to disrupt her ability to communicate with others. An English teacher is fired for trying to instil critical thought amongst her students, while a science teacher cannot express his atheistic hypotheses about time travel for fear of losing his job. Roberta Sparrow, a lonely nonagenarian, routinely checks her mailbox for a letter that never arrives. In the end, everything is connected and everybody has a purpose. To this day. I am not sure that I fully understand the thematically convoluted and seemingly cyclical ending of the film. But what I take away from it is similar to the truths Donnie finally uncovers: a renewed hope and a sense of restorative beauty for the coming future.
Word of mouth for Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko spread predominantly among the college crowd, and I would be hard-pressed to find someone over thirty that has even seen the film. Regardless, I cannot deny the impact that this film had on me the first time a saw it. This impact has only deepened upon further viewings. Perhaps it is the themes of Donnie Darko which appeal most to certain generations and groups, despite the fact that the story is set in the early 1980s. It is essentially a coming-of-age story of a misunderstood and wholly confused teenager who has been receiving cryptic messages about his destiny and the fate of the universe. The need for acceptance and purpose is not only expressed through Donnie: all the characters are out-of-place in their own way. Cherita wears earmuffs to block the constant criticism she feels victim to, but this only acts to disrupt her ability to communicate with others. An English teacher is fired for trying to instil critical thought amongst her students, while a science teacher cannot express his atheistic hypotheses about time travel for fear of losing his job. Roberta Sparrow, a lonely nonagenarian, routinely checks her mailbox for a letter that never arrives. In the end, everything is connected and everybody has a purpose. To this day. I am not sure that I fully understand the thematically convoluted and seemingly cyclical ending of the film. But what I take away from it is similar to the truths Donnie finally uncovers: a renewed hope and a sense of restorative beauty for the coming future.
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