Donnie Darko EXPLAINED
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- An explanation of the 2001 film "Donnie Darko" by TheFalconReview. Directed by Richard Kelly, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone. I discuss the Tangent Universe, The Primary Universe, The Philosophy of Time Travel and many other important points.
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He's laughing because he is finally not afraid to die alone.On the beginning old lady said to him"Every living Creature dies alone".
Dr.Thuman asked him are you afraid of dying alone( and he is), but later he realised that he can save his family, his friends,girlfriend and Frank.. To me it is all about his struggle to sacrifice his life to save others.That's why Gretchen said that his name is like superhero
At the end he know that he is not afraid of dying anymore .
you're goddamn right
p
Domagoj Ivanković to me frank is just plain creepy
agree man
Domagoj Ivanković z
He's laughing because earlier in the movie Grechen says his name sounds like a superhero"s name and he says something like "how do you know I'm not one?". Then he saves the universe.
+Craig Scholtz holy fuck
+Craig Scholtz w o w
oh shiit...
Listening to mad world after finished watching the movie, holy fuck do I feel empty
omg so true
My real question, is what is a "fuck-ass"?
A dipshit, douchbag etc.
This mоvieеeе is now availаble to watch heeerе => twitter.com/3872aaded2392eff9/status/795843281162670080 Donnie Darko EХPLАAINЕD
Hotpockets222 here let me go and get you one, so you can find out. lol I'm sorry it's only a joke.
you know even before i saw this movie i still called people a fuck-ass
A Homestuck piece of shit
I believe he is laughing at the end because he knows he is saving all the people he loves and cares about and the good memories he had are his perfect moments. He is free of his struggles and is finally at peace with himself.
Before the time travel he wasn't happy and then he was after so yeah probably right.
Well said
Lucky79 And then he goes on to become a cowboy... :V
I think he's laughing, be cause he know all the people he loves will be safe, and he won't die alone because of the girl she's was with him for those few day, and then she'll died and now he laughing because he knows she's safe too, I don't rally know how to explain it, but thats how I see it and I guess he's also laughing because he knows what's gonna happen to him..
Icarusv2x boxer.....
Who else still hasn't seen the sequel and never plans to
Hear, hear sir.
Yep
+Lone Wolf Full Albums™ There was a sequel?
+Lone Wolf Full Albums™ Is it written by the same person? If so I would watch it. If not, well then I need to figure out how to go back and forget I ever learned there is a shitty sequel?
sarys73 No, Richard Kelly the original writer and director had nothing to do with it. Probably why it has a 3.7/10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
I think he stayed in the bed because he remembered everything. How everybody blamed it on schizophrenia while he was right all along. He laughs because he understands it's impossible for him to escape the paradox of time travel and a tangent universe. So he dies laughing. Like it was all a bad dream.
+Jacob Cutcher exactly what I thought. And I also think that he is happy that everyone else gets to live so he kinda sacrifices himself.
+dolan dak Have you seen the movie?
Gnurt Fnurt obviously
+Jacob Cutcher I like the way you explain it.
+Jacob Cutcher That is an aspect of the movie I found very interesting but I don't think everbody saw it. Donnie is actually a very smart guy in class and he reacts in a very mature (or to say ''sane'') way. I mean the things he sees in the movie seem very disturbing at least to say but at the end as a viewer you realise he is right after all and the things he experiences are explainable.
Just before he dies, Donnie remembers the entire Tangent Universe, and laughs not because he knows he's going to die, but more than that, he knows there is something much more worthwhile to come, after death. He makes a statement regarding that somewhere earlier in the film when he says something akin to 'it would have all been worth it.' Remember also, even before his death scene, he's overlooking a valley and sees clouds swirling around his house, the clouds acting like those liquid snake-like manifestations which help lead his path. That is where the jet engine is going to fall out of the sky, and where he must go to die (live again). Upon seeing that and reflecting on all of it, he begins laughing here, realizing his vital role in the Universe itself. I would argue, even at this point, he has come to the conclusion that there is a God, and that all that once seemed so insignificant, in this world, actually has so much meaning when looked at from a more Godly view. Donnie has become an ascended being, an avatar, which was not unlike the Matrix film(s), when Neo finally realizes what he must do, to become that which was always his destiny and purpose for being. These films are about self-realization within something much greater than ourselves, but, for ourselves, by a greater Being than ourselves who loves us and holds for each one of us, a destiny to follow that ends in a Beginning, Alpha and Omega.
actually what u said might be correct because if he knew he's gonna die and that gives his gf and other their lives back then without dying he might escaped by planned an alternative for them to live. As he remembers everything he might have taken care of them in an other way, not letting them die.
Clinton Ortiz I love this theory.
👌
but he wanted to die, it was like the butterfly effect
You could also argue the opposite and say he is laughing because he realizes just how insignificant his existence and his timeline is in relativity to the universe as a whole. Just saying
I could only dream of making such a great storyline
iNJECT yohji Yamamoto
The end song. 'The dreams in which i'm dying are the best i've ever had'
Exactly! That line is what made me understand the ending the way i did. To me he had just had a dream or day hallucination of some sort and wasn't sure if it was true or not what he imagined- but he was so in love with the ideas in this concept, as a writer and a poet at heart, that this was everything he has ever wanted, he was happy and felt like he had a place in the universe, - dying in that bed would give him a romantic ending that he deserves and leave everyone else better off, he would be a superhero to so many people without them even knowing it.
Ugh, I love Donnie Darko!
Average Gamer Mad world is the song (by Gary Jules)
mad world was written and released by Tears for Fears off their album The Hurting it was covered in this movie by Gary Jules
Simona yep. Superheros. Dont need the glory or the fame.
That whole album is great. First album by Tears for Fears called " The Hurting". I was a teenager when that came out,played it endlessly.
Omg, I never knew the philosophy of time travel was an actual book! This is great, thank you!!
its not, its a fictional book that only appears in the directors cut
source?
***** that just includes all the things shown on the directors cut
Plop Plopp "Published October 1944" when it explains Donnie Darko that came out in 2001. Unless they time traveled the book isnt real...
TheArmadilloNinja your getting warmer
what if our realistic dreams are actually us in a tangent universe with someone in the world trying to fix it hmm
Crap, that actually makes sense. Why would you say something like this.
Hey non of that I don't want to go insane. Still good thinking.
If we lived snother life we would remrmber it... But what if you lost track if "dreams" and reality?
***** Were you trying to have a lucid dream?
***** ?
"Chutt up!"
Sometimes, I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!
"You know what, you better Shuch up!"
He laughs because he finally brought balance back. There are hints through out the movie that suggest that Donnie never got that far and good have spent eternities with the dead and living to create the right conditions each time. But he always failed, that's while he tells frank "When is it going to end" and obviously frank tells him "You know what you have to do." So he's laughing because he finally did everything he needed to do to restore balance to the primary universe, effectively saving everything from constant stagnation and destruction. Every time the tangent universe collapses, it goes back to the point when the jet engine appeared in the primary.
BlueIceCosplay So basicallly, that was the meaning of his death (life)? Him avoiding death would cause other universe to disrupt like what happened in the whole movie?
I just realized that the Chinese girl is kinda smiling at the end of the movie because she probably dreamed about that time when Donnie grabbed her face in the tangent universe and reassured her and it honestly broke my heart
Great to hear. Thank You for sharing that!
I thought he chose to die in order to save Gretchen because he loves her, not so much because the world doesn't need him, he truly loved Gretchen and would rather she lived and had no recollection of him. That's what i took from it.
Young Dylan Agreed, most people miss out on the fact, that in the end, this was all about love.
Young Dylan stfu
If Donny dies nothing happens, the reason for the Tangent universe being created is unknown, Donny is just the living receiver and helps bring the artifact (jet engine) back to the primary universe. Donny had no role in why the alternate universe is created. Therefore in the end, in the primary universe, everything is back to normal, there's no manipulated dead (frank) to cause him to flood the school and ultimately meet Gretchen, therefore him dying has no effect on anything. There's many theories to why hes laughing in his bed before he dies. I believe he thought he had a wild dream and didn't believe what happened actually happened.
Then how was his family affected by his death if everything is normal?
But nothing happens to Gretchen if he lives because there would be no one messing with the story-line? This is the PU.
I put this on the store tv at the college bookstore i worked at during book rush (when students buy their book for class) at Penn State. A crowd of over 100 gathered and sat on the floor watching it. I took a pic and sent to to my companies corp office with the tag line "real marketing" .... within two weeks the company sent out flat screens for each stores lobby area with built in dvd players and a list of possible movies to go buy... That same year during book buy back (when they sell their books back) the same people plus a couple dozen more showed up and i played 2001 and 2010. Needless to say Donnie was party responsible for the epic organic word of mouth that made the GotUsed bookstore in State College PA a success when i arrived to take over a suffering black hole of a store.
Nice!
Matthew Alford
So Frank got in your head too?
If you play it they will come.
Donnies main thought process throughout the film is that he doesn't want to die alone, the tangent universe essentially gives him a chance to experience life in a better way BUT at the same time, prepares him for death.
In the TU donnie had a better relationship with his family and girlfriend that made him happy, however the philosophy of time travel by roberto sparrow says "an ensurance trap will be made by the manipulated to ensure the living receiver (donnie) secures the fate of all man kind.
The ensurance trap was frank accidentally killing gretchen, that hurt donnie so much that he knew by sending the artifact (jet engine) back to the primary universe he could save gretchen at the cost of his own life - but donnie this time does not feel alone, because he wakes in his bed with all the memories of a better life in the TU and is therefore willing to accept its his time to die to save the ones he loves.
What about the "chut up" girl? She had some book called donnie darko.
ravioli farmer I think she had a crush on him
Neer Xemsion lol such a great comment x) true as well!
Nah there has to be more about it. Something about her headphones. I dont get it why nobody mentions her.
Shes an Alien she can hear thoughts...? She can sense DD genuinely cared about her as a human she did depict an Angel in the school play, IDk strange though also I subconsciously came back to watch this movie for some odd reason.
I feel that Donnie's laughing in the end because he is subconsciously recognizing thoughts of not being alone (From the tangent universe). If I recall, in one scene Donnie spoke to his psychiatrist saying he doesn't want to die alone. Though the tangent universe can't be avoided, Donnie has to realize that he is going to die. So the manipulated living and dead pulled him down a path where he can be at peace with death (Finding comfort with Gretchen,etc) while simultaneously saving the world.I kinda see the ending as bittersweet. There are somethings you can't control in life (A la the tangent universe appearance), but you try to make the best of what your giving and accept it (Donnie Darko at peace in the end). And the thing with Gretchen is at least she mentions Darko, shows acknowledgement and a whisper of a feeling from the tangent universe. Though she may not be showing a strong emotion towards his death, at least she's retaining enough to say she feels like see misses Darko unlike the other characters who only remember (I assume) the emotions. I hope this makes sense lol
all this for a damn jet engine
earthgem 😂😂🤷♀️
The jet engine did cause his death so it's a big fucking deal.
I had a migraine the whole time I watched this video
The ending is in my opinion a classic case of viewers over-thinking, which is something that happens a lot in complicated movies (Shutter Island & inception for example).
There are three themes throughout the film and people seem to only focus on two of them, parallel universes & fate (which is why God is consistently mentioned.)
However, Donnie's mental state is also a theme, the guy is already on medication prior to the tangent universe beginning and he is a suspected paranoid schizophrenic. We first meet Donnie lying in the road in his pyjamas so he already sleep walks, he lacks all social skills, his therapist speaks later in the film as if she is aware Donnie has an incredibly active & aggressive sex drive (going so far as to attempt masturbation while hypnotised), we also discover that he has in the past committed arson too. The point being, Donnie is clearly unhinged & this is BEFORE we introduce the meaning of life, conversations with dead people, time travel, parallel universes, murder, arson (Of an occupied house) & possibly the only person he deeply loves dying before him.
Why is Donnie laughing in the bed? Well, for the same reason Lady Death constantly checks the mailbox, he has completely lost his mind. Lady Death' insanity, is brought up A LOT. When we finally arrive back in the real world, what we see is the exact same thing happening to Donnie, he can do nothing but laugh (the only time in the movie he does I believe), then he rolls over & dies. The ending is just that, we are simply watching an unhinged person take there own life. That's why it's powerful, the entire movie is complicated, but Donnie' final decision is so simple, probably the last sound minded decisions Donnie would ever make again, and he made sure it was his last.
The1Floyd Interesting theory, but you did forget about something. The drugs he was taking were a placebo. In my opinion this probably means his doctor didn't think he was all that crazy, giving him sugar pills and not the real thing and all. Really though, even with that, your theory still holds up pretty well. :)
I fully agree with your explanation. Those who have "seen the truth" usually go insane or disturbed and are shunned by others. It really must have been the simple and sound choice to die.
It states he was given placebos and not actual medication.
Logan Kalber His medication was a placebo yes, but that doesn't mean the doctors diagnosis was a fake one. He was a paranoid schizophrenic, and the doctor believe by making him think he was being cured he would cure himself.
It didn't work, which was evident throughout the entire film.
The1Floyd so, why frank touched his eye at the end?
I literally just watched the movie for the first time today (Dec. 4, 2014) and I gotta tell you, this is now one of my favorite movies. There's just something about different movies that don't feel mainstream that clicks with me, or underrated movies. Plus it helped when you said it was your 5th favorite movie ever. When someone else places a movie I like in their favorites list, it gives me reassurance that I should include it somewhere on my own.
DivingTiger hipster alert
I think your analysis is very off note.. Let's try this one out.
You all are taking this to literally, yes Frank told him the universe would end in 28 days... However no ones looking at it realistically, Frank meant the universe as Donnie "knew it" would end. His own personal world and very existence, his girlfriend dying, frank dying, mom and sister dying, etc.. etc.. etc.. So he knew that in order to save everyone from this future, he had to let himself die in his bed under the plane engine that was going to crash through his roof. It was going to end up there inevitably anyways... He sacrificed himself for the greater good of everyone including himself.
The mom and the daughter didn't die, because the engine fell through the wormhole and back into time crushing Donnie in his sleep therefore the whole plot got changed because now the family is grieving the loss of Donnie. Events have changed, the daughter didn't get seen in the talent show and then invited to perform on star search blah blah blah.. So therefore no flight to LA, no mom n daughter dying in a firey plane crash.. Regardless of his mom n sister being on the plane or not, the plane was still going to have failure issues and the engine was still going to detach and enter the wormhole outputting itself over Donnie's house whether they were on the plane or not..
The entire universe was not going to be destroyed because if it was there would of been no ending... Everyone would of been blipped out of existence instead it ended leaving everyone with the feeling of Deja Vu.. and the feeling that something happened to them that really didn't including Donnie.
The movie was a clear depiction of the famous question "What if" What if Donnie hadn't died under the engine, how would his life of unraveled over the next 28 days... Let's show the audience of the impending doom that was to come because Donnie was reaching the end of his rope with his mental conditions.. The lives he would destroy, end and yet also influence at the same time.. To take it all away with showing him laughing in his bed, rolling over to go to sleep and bam, engine falls through... crushes him and he's dead.. None of this other stuff actually happened, it was all a "What If" scenario.
Donnie like a lot of people finding the lord and the word of the bible, found Roberta Sparrows book to latch himself on to for answers and explanations as to why similar things were happening to him. So he got hooked on the concept of time travel and tangent universes to render him the explanation as to why all this was or could happening.
Sidenote : I find it funny that the kid Larry Riesman in the "Promo" video for overcoming fear about wetting the bed, was aslo the same kid that stood up in school during the seminar and asked Cunningham about what to do about being bullied...
This is common amongst the workings of people like Jim Cunningham's character, it's to endorse and strengthen the belief that the system they are pushing actually works. Bait n Hook.. The kid was probably on a tape or stack of photos in the pedophiles kiddy porn dungeon anyways.
So donnie went back In time right?
womalee23 Ony thing that went back in time was the jet engine. I don't think Donnie ever actually time traveled.
Mike J Manipulated dead are powerful creatures, they have the ability to time travel. That's what Frank did. He died in the future and came back as a manipulated dead, to help Donnie on his journey.
Subjective interpretations of the film are awesome...and I like reading what everyone has taken out of it. However, what the person posting the video is saying is pretty much canon, confirmed and described by the person who wrote and directed the film. He's not off.
DashCat9 do you have a source for me to reference?
This is a really good analysis, although I do think that Gretchen remembers because she waves to Donnie's mom as if she knew her. Other than that probably one of the best explanations of this movie out there.
I need more coffee to watch this. I'm at the 6 minute mark and my eyes are starting to cross i'm so confused.
The ending of the movie is the beginning of the movie, except Donnie dies after going back in time with all of the present knowledge and the intent of saving the people he cared most about. That's as much as I perceived. I guess Donnie felt accomplished with his present time line after all the mischief. But what I wonder is if Frank hadn't killed Gretchen, would Donnie had want to time travel back and change the course of time for everyones well being ? Damm... Shouldnt be on here at 3 AM.
Prasun Katiyar as am I :O
Kinda creepy if you think about it too long
NextGenBluePro Oh yeah. It feels sad to see Donnie die. He had a good relationship with Gretchen and his family and now it wouldn't exist. In the end when the boy asks her if she knows him, she says No. Which is kinda sad as they were really in love, and she will never know, only Donnie will.
The point that you gloss over is the paradox of this movie. How can the tangent universe (hereafter referred to as Universe B) even exist if the jet engine that creates Universe B originates from Universe B in the first place? The timeline presupposes the existence of Universe B before the events that supposedly create it.
In Universe A Donnie dies. However in Universe B franks calls donnie away (saving his life). Of course frank couldn't have done that unless the events of Universe B had already taken place. Frank's time travel within Universe B is also a paradox as he could not have had the ability to time travel unless the events leading up to his death had already taken place, and those events could not have taken place unless he had ability to time travel.
So basically, in order for this movie to work out logically, the events of the tangent universe would need to keep repeating over and over in a closed loop, since before the beginning of time and into infinity. The jet engine, which originates in Universe B, must fall through the vortex at the end of Universe B, and land in both Universe A and B simultaneously. When it lands in Universe A, Donnie is killed and life moves on, when it lands in Universe B, the cycle is repeated. The engine MUST land in universe B again in order to re-create that universe, because without Universe B having been created (and re-created), there would be no jet engine falling into any vortex in the first place, and with no jet engine, Donnie is never put in to a position where he could either be killed, or lured away by frank.
So from the perspective of anyone standing in Universe A, there is still a mystery jet engine with no apparent origin. The origin of the jet engine is only known to Universe B Donnie. Come to think of it, maybe that's why Universe A Donnie, retaining the memories from Universe B (at the end of the movie), is laughing hysterically. Maybe hes laughing at the absurdity of the entire thing.
To be fair though the very idea of time travel is paradoxical. So any movie about time travel would be naturally be rife with paradoxes.
The jet engine, Donnie and Frank have absolutely nothing to do with the creation of the tangent universe (universe b) The tangent universe is created independently of the events in the film and begins sometime BEFORE Donnie is woken up. A tangent universe is an unstable and temporary construct.
All of this is explained in the pages of The Philosophy Of Time Travel that are shown in the director's cut of the movie. The roles of the manipulated dead, manipulated living and the living receiver in the tangent universe are also explained
nick sousa that doesn't explain how "scary - eye Frank" from the END OF UNIVERSE B even exists. According to the video, Frank started universe B by leading donnie away, but how did he start it if donnie hadn't shot him yet. Universe B hadn't been created yet, but Frank from universe B somehow was.
Drake Scott Universe B didn't start by Frank leading Donnie to safety, it started the moment the Artifact appeared in the sky over Donnie's house. Frank could have done nothing and let Donnie die to prevent Gretchen and his own death but that would not prevent Universe B from collapsing so he chooses to save Donnie and ensure he removes the Artifact from Universe B and into Universe A where it came from.
At least that's my understanding of it, though for it to explain why Donnie lets himself die at the end I assume that Donnie, like the others, only remember's the events subconsciously, laughing because he is happy that Gretchen is alive. I can see no other reason for him to kill himself as there'd be no Frank, no burst water main leading to romance with Gretchen, no party, no death, no revenge killing.
***** true. That's what ruined it a bit for me.
Frank is a self creating paradox, his actions as well as interference in the normal timeline ends up in his creation as the manipulated dead. The jet engine was a paradox to begin with, the only way to prevent the tangent universe was to make it so I could exist in the first place
Wow, I came here straight after viewing Donnie Darko for the first time and all I can say is wow. This movie is phenomenal and I can see myself watching this over and over.
Donnie Darko is a good ass movie
check.
;D
You are wrong at the end.
Donnie doesn't let himself die because Gretchen and Frank wouldn't die, NOPE. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE TANGENT UNIVERSE STAYS IN THE TANGENT UNIVERSE.
He decides to die because that's his destiny, that was his destiny. Did you remember his dialogue with his science teacher?
The tangent universe began to disintegrate as soon as he got too close to the object of his fantasy, after sleeping with his girlfriend. When we desire something we fantasise about it, when we get it we don't want it anymore.
***** he wasn't really talking about women specifically though
HeroEmiya except that he was.
***** There was no real reason for him to die if he fully knew what happened in the other universe, he could have just not had the party and the girl would not have died, so if he knew then he just basically committed suicide by staying in bed (so to speak) But by what mechanism did he have absolute knowledge of what happened in the other dimension if no one else seemed to.
I think he was just like the rest without a full knowledge, so that is why he stayed in the bed, because that is what he normally would have done. If that were the case his laughing was just a reaction to some feeling, just the same as the guy who had the child porn was crying.
Time travel movies always seem to break down at certain points though, there was no reason that frank should have had any more knowledge than anyone else when he was in the tangent universe, and also no reason he should have been already shot and still walking around, that is just simply an implausibility and nothing more.
***** You're not wrong. Its just the hole in the mainstream explanation of Donnie Darko.
I still prefer the "free will" one, where donnie dies to save everyone. Donnie's laughing at the end because he has seen THROUGH a wormhole--a wormhole being an amalgamate of the "chest spears", the destinies, of all involved parties.
I hate when people say that he is doing unnatural things in the timeline that do not apply and thus would not cause death in the real timeline--that is, he would not need to sacrifice himself because none of those events would occur. However, we already know that Donnie used to "roll houses" and burn down houses "accidentally". Thus, the crimes he commits would not be a stretch for his character. Furthermore, he buries the axehead into the Monsters statue/mascot (the pitbull), but the police and the principal can be heard saying that "thats impossible. That's solid bronze!" It hearkens back to a different scene watching evil dead in the theater: "Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?" Frank replies, "Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?" Donnie is actually a superhero. He has superhuman powers. Remember Gretchen? "Donnie Darko...what kind of name is that? Sounds like some sort of superhero or something..." Donnie replies, "What makes you think I"m not?"
Donnie burying the axe into solid bronze, being able to manipulate time and such, all support the idea that he has been given powers. The powers were given that he may correct the timeline. And IMHO, that correction is to save all of those that he loves.
Great explanation. I heard a theory that said Donnie didn't have to die. Cause when Donnie is laughing at the end you hear Frank's horn honk and it was warning Donnie to move.
+Gamer After Midnight Then the time loop would go on, Donnie's death meant it stopped.
+Fuji Wuji is correct! He is laughing because he knows his sacrifice means life for everyone. Early in the movie he thinks and even says everyone dies alone. Later in the movie he knows better. If God exists, he must by extension have a plan for the universe, a path for everyone to follow. Donnie is able to see these paths as Abyss-like arrows emanating from people’s chests. He tries to ask his science teacher what it all means, but his teacher can’t answer-he’ll lose his job. He can’t tell Donnie how to travel in time because it means telling Donnie that there is a sovereign God who created time and who oversees its unfolding. He dies laughing knowing he is setting things right, a Christ like figure, and knowing he is not alone after death.
Nah I think he's laughing because he realises they failed. The horn donk might then be a "you have to save the world" warning and not a "you saved the world you can live" warning.
Basically a huge fuck you to a decadent world ( i e he's getting bullied, his gf dies, he kills a man, his family thinks he's crazy, he IS a bit crazy, the only good teacher gets fired, etc)
Carl Gengenwin The only problem your theory is...well...everything. You can freely interpret the movie any way you personally choose to, and yours is a tangent universe of your own making.
Yeah that's true you can see it the way you want ;) I think it would be awesome if he knew the world was gonna end and he would say fuck you world with a big smile on his face.
Kinda like The cabin if the woods ending.
So, why did Frank pull Donnie out of the house to begin with? He could have just let him die, and had the exact same result.
No Budget Reviews That's my question as well.
Because there is still 2 engines in the tangent universe, and Donnie has to transport one of them to the Principal universe
NuxaPower MyNegros why is there two ket engines in the tangent universe?
MrGamesmate One of them is from the Principal universe, while the other is from the tangent universe.
One of them is in the airplane while the other fell down to Donnie's house
Don created it he was playing God because at first he didn't give a fuk bout dying remember when asked if he felt alone but he don't think of it anymore? SeNsing he had purpose again because he got a girl that he really loves but after seeing her die he knew instantly how to manipulate time and reality so he sacrificed himself as if he foreseen it already...
this movie haunted my childhood .
i think it's the best superheroe movie ever . no it's just the best .
Frank's a good guy
Watching Donnie Darko again on tv this evening. Thanks for the simplified and clarified version of events. Although it does go deeper than this you've hit the nail on the head in it's simplest of forms.
I think the main thing this video gets wrong is the black hole scenario. Donnie has a choice, as his science teacher says he is contradicting himself we would able to choose our own destiny. Donnie chooses to die instead of Frank and Grechin because he values their lives more than his own.
I agree with your final conclusion. Darko is depressed on a massive level and in addition to wanting everything to be over, he also probably recognizes that if he doesn't stay in the bed and let the engine kill him, that the time loop will probably repeat itself endlessly. He kills 2 birds with one stone by allowing the engine to crush him.
+druuzil the time loop won't reset
+druuzil I agree. He's ready for it to end and he also doesn't want Gretchen to die.
Primary Universe : Tangent Universe
Body of Plane : Jet Engine
Haha good job man very informative and pretty funny haha. Definitely one of my all time favourites an your right the "mad world" montage at the end is incredible!! Sweet job
1000th comment. I'll try make it an important one.
While the core of the movie is very much around the existence of the tangent universe, it needs to be analysed much deeper than that. It's remarkable how Donnie's death affects his mother at the end, and her role throughout the movie. It seems she believes her son, and his crazy ideas, and is so emotionally invested in supporting him, even though everyone is trying to label him as 'insane' or medicate him. It's interesting to see the doctor's transition throughout the movie, and her change from the "logic" to the "creative".
It's ironic that the science (logic) teacher and the English (creative) teacher are married and walk hand in hand. When the creative is "fired from the school", it represents our current world, and how 'logic' is very much taking over the function of society. When the science teacher and Donnie start discussing hypotheticals about time travel in private, the science teacher says "I need to end this discussion. I could lose my job". That's logic bending too far into the creative, which is why the science teacher says this - but once again, this is exactly what needs to happen to sprout new ideas, and to advance in technology, science, health, spirituality and life in general.
This constant bouncing between the themes of logic and creative expression really underpins this movie, and I feel Donnie laughing at the end is his realisation that while what he experienced throughout the movie the other characters (and maybe even the viewers) had tried to label as insane or hallucinatory, it was Donnie having the last hurrah that it was all real in the function of the movie, and the creativeness had become the logic. The jet engine crashing into his room and killing him hints that society still does not understand that logic and creativeness sometimes needs to work together, or hints that the two will never work together.
Thank you
While your points have merit, I know the director specifically wanted this to be a movie that questions the existence of God, that we all have paths to follow, but some of us never realize that. Donnie does. And he realizes he does NOT die alone as he originally thought that people do. There are people and things that are put in our paths that we can examine and question there meaning, if there is one. Donnie tells his teacher "Not if you chose to stay within God's
channel..." and his teacher tells him he can't discuss God for fear of losing his job, but notice he does not just say "what God?". When Donnie writes Ms. Sparrow he includes the line "Sometimes I'm afraid of what you might tell me." She is a 'prophetic' character, and real prophets are only sent by God. The director has stated that the opening scene of the movie, where dawn is coming, and Donnie wakes up and looks out over the misty mountains, represents a Moses like mountain-top experience where Moses looks out over the world. Donnie dies as a savior type person, laughing and happy. Why? Because he knows things are going to be restored...set right. And after he dies we see the redemption of the characters: Frank's eye is restored, Gretchen is alive, Jim Cunningham is weeping in his house realizing his guilt-as the director has stated "he was set free" from the kiddie porn. Even the 2 movies on the marquee were shown on purpose (everything in a movie is) The Evil Dead/The Last Temptation of Christ. Donnie had a very hard decision to make, similar to Christ in the garden, at first fearing death, yet knowing a greater path existed that He must take. And Donnie's famous line: "I hope that when the world comes to an end I can breathe a sigh of relief, because there will be so much to look forward to."
David Phillips I think you have the best interpretation of the movie
love both your comments!
Jeffy Cakes most intelligent interpretation
I'd like to add my opinions about the fear and love lifeline as it is brought up a lot in the film and I like to think this also has a connection with Donnie's decision at the end as he talks about his fear of dying alone with his mentor, especially after grandma death whispers 'all living things die alone'.
I like to think in the final scene Donnie's time travel experience he knows of the outcomes and he has 2 choices: prior to the jet engine crash:
Choosing fear- Escaping his death and allowing the previous events to re-occur.
Choosing love- Accepts death which will change the course of time (or parallel universe) to allow his loved ones to live.
I love when grandma death whispers into his ear as you have to wait a while to find out what she said and it intrigues me hugely!
One of all time favourite films and reminds me of my teenage years. Almost every scene is my favourite scene. Thanks for the vid btw 👍
Is it weird that i watched this movie for the first time yesterday and i wasn't confused one bit? i expected him to tell me something deep about the movie but this is all explained in the movie itself
+Jalen Covington sorry for asking, but if you weren't confused even for one bit, then why are you here? xD (i really mean no harm by that, i just want to know, why you would search for an explanation then^^)
Chenthis Bamthat Like i said in my comment is that i expected him to talk about some theory or something, you know like Frank actually comes from the past or something
+Giovanni Darko I'm guessing you watched the Director's cut. That version does a much better job of explaining things than the Theatrical Cut.
Soham Bhattacharya i watched it on showbox and every other scene would have a page and it explained things
Giovanni Darko That's the Director's Cut. That was pretty well explained... :/
Literally believe your reason for him laughing so much, when the jet engine comes through HIS ROOF of his house, not his room it makes an incredibly loud noise and the guy doesn't even FLINCH, he had time to run out of his bed when he heard that noise, he still even had time when it impacts his actual roof as the jet engine comes in a few seconds after, he could've moved and retained just some injury, which may not have been fatal, I agree completely with your reason for why he was laughing honestly, he had found enlightenment, he laughs at the silliness of it all as he knows it is a completely mad story.
Why did Dr. Thurman call their house? Did she figure out what was happening?
Dr. Thurman called Donnie's house because she wanted to tell his parents that Donnie was going to do something dangerous, "Frank's gonna kill again."
The only thing not confusing about the movie is it's confusing:
And you can see that in comments each one got his own understanding to the movie and this is why this movie is really still one of my favourites
An eye is a door. Donnie shot Frank right in his eye, not somewhere else. The bullet left that world and came back as an engine killing Donnie. Donnie shot himself.
thats brilliant. makes sense actually.
no, it doesn't.
eyes are actually windows to the soul not doors
Donnie didn’t die from a bullet...
Bullets are not engines.
Frank is this reverse ghost. This character can be explained in the commentary.
It's pretty simple. Donnie is smiling and laughing at the end of the movie because there's actually a third timeline, where his subconscious goes into so he can ascend and become a time god. SIMPLE STUFF FOLKS.
And what about that girl in the school, the one who says "Shut up!", who dances in the Talent Show???? She acted so strangely
According to me, Donnie was happy because he thought it was over and he was looking forward to the future, he never thought the engine was going to hit.
i dont understand why he has to die though? if he knew the jet engine was coming couldnt he just get out of house while it falls because hes still in the primary universe whether he is alive or not
He's just too lazy to get out of bed
ADMIRAL awesome Well that's understandable
Meah Barnett he dies to save the world
I think if he doesn't die it creates the new alternate universe again
Meah Barnett yeah and which will again lead to destruction!!
Brilliant. You basically explain what I am trying to relay when I am talking about this movie.
I just watched the movie and it completely mind fucked me (still a great movie though!). This helped clear it up a lot even though it is a theory
Man, you have to tell me your other 4 favourites movies :)
Brilliant explanation. I just watched this for the umpteenth time and was looking for a good explanation everywhere.
I’m going to watch this again tonight after this!
This really helped me understand the movie better after watching this and rewatching the movie again. This also helped me make sense of Donnie's laughter in the end of the movie. Donnie isn't laughing cause he think his life isn't worth the life of Franks or Gretchen. When Donnie first meets Gretchen she asked him "what kind of name is Donnie Darko" and then fallows up by suggesting that his name sounds like super hero's name Donnie goes on to tell her "what makes you think I'm not". Donnie is laughing because he is a tragic hero and he know it. (Tragic hero definition, a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, ...) He know he must die to save everyone else he loves and the laughter is a mix of happiness and irony that everyone dies alone.
If you think this is confusing, you should watch Primer!
Donnie Darko has to be the most brilliantly written movie script ever written.
I like to think that Donnie was laughing at the end because he has learnt from his experience of the tangent universe, which he thought was a dream that Gods path for him was to sacrifice himself and die, and he had accepted that was his destiny. He had come to terms to his reality and as he said in the previous scene he had so much to look forward to, that he was going to heaven. I think this makes the ending so much more special because he is finally at peace with his existence and everything that happens. If he didn't die the people he interacted with in the tangent universe who have some recollection of Donnie actions in the TU would see Donnie after he had survived the jet engine crash and things would get all messed up and could possibly cause another TU and time portal to appear causing the whole thing to start again so it was just easier for Donnie to go. I hope this helps.
I think the reason Donnie laughs at the end of the movie is he feels relieved because he did what he had to do and is going to "die alone" like roberta said or he just laughs because he had one hell of a dream.
Who else watched the whole thing and still find didn't t know what the fuck he was saying
Donnie Darko is my favourite film of all time :) I already knew all the stuff in the video, but I just wanna say, brilliantly put, and rather entertaining :)
This is YOUR explanation. To me, Donnie Darko is not about dry mathy science theories, only as a smaller side note. To me it's more a felt experience.
I don't think he's laughing at the end because he wants to die, I think he's laughing because he knows how to travel through time, so if he dies, he can just come back if he chose to.
Falcon Review What are your four other all time favourites/.
The best explanation!! after watching dozen of videos, I found this perfect one.. thank you!!
Gretchen: Donnie Darko what kinda fucking name is that? sounds like a superhero
Donnie: What makes you think I'm not? LOL DEADASS HE SAVED THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE HE'S A HERO
This movie has to be one of the greatest of all times. It is so mysterious.
bloody crap i havent left point A
I also like how they mention the DeLoreon in the movie, in the scene where Donnie talks to one of the teachers. If you know the reference, the DeLoreon is a time machine used in the movie Back to the Future, specifically Back to the Future 2. In that movie, main characters Marty McFly and Dr. Brown create a parallel universe which in turn create this hellish world where everything is wrong. Henceforth, it's the exact same concept as the tangent universe in this film.
Thank you! I've been going over and over this for days.
I don't see any reason for frank to save Donnie in the first place. If Donnie's death fixes everything, why not let him die? On top of that, the whole 2 jet engines thing doesn't make sense, since there are STILL 2 engines in the primary universe at the end of the movie.
+iNunky Yeah he said that the primary universes jet engine actually fell into the tangent world, so he was returning that. Not removing a rouge one from a tangent universe.
That implies the crash still happens in the primary universe but the engine still falls before the plane does. Which I don't understand...
Also one would assume his mom is spared as she won't be on that plane now, but you'd think that'd mean his little sister dies though..
If so, how does she end up in the sequel? Who knows, I won't, it sounds like a shit film. XD
No, the the airline company takes away the jet engine remember, I think it was the FAA? So he takes the original engine from the actual plane in the tangent universe and sends it to the primary universe. So the tangent universe's engine ends up being in the primary universe. While the primary universe's engine remains in the tangent universe in the hands of the FAA.
+iNunky If Frank never saved Donnie from the jet engine then Donnie couldn't stop the tangent universe collapsing and causing a black hole, destroying the primary universe. Donnie's death didn't actually fix anything. Sending the jet engine through the portal is what fixed everything however this led to Donnie's death. But if Donnie just died in the tangent universe if Frank hadn't woken him up, Donnie couldn't have sent the jet engine through the portal and the tangent universe would have collapsed causing a black hole and also destroying the primary universe.
+Apple Core yep this is what confuses me so..why he had to be saved when his death is the solution..my gosh! this movie will keep u thinking non-stop..but i love it..i guess good for the brain ? it'll help prevent alzheimers:)
+Apple Core yep this is what confuses me so..why he had to be saved when his death is the solution..my gosh! this movie will keep u thinking non-stop..but i love it..i guess good for the brain ? it'll help prevent alzheimers:)
For me the film is about recognizing synchronicity, deja vu as a dream and changing out destiny. its about how love is constant and light and gravity are dynamic. this film is a map
Can someone explain why Dr Lillian Therman called the mum in the third act of the film?
Viv Varghese Because Donnie told her he burned down the house and flooded the school so she was afraid he'd gone full psycho and would hurt someone.
+John Smith lol at your chose of words. but also right.
"going Full Psycho". i got to remember that xD
The illustrations remind me of any time Rukia drew anything in Bleach =D
Falcon Review Gretchen doesnt remember Donnie because in the primary universe she had never laid eyes on him he was deceased. Only the Gretchen in the tangen universe new who he was and she wasnt really real, she was just leading him. Everyone else had already come into contact with Donnie before hand in the primary universe mostly because of school and family members. Gretchen in the primary universe would have only just transferred when Donnie death occurred. So the real Gretchen didn't know Donnie Darko. Also you didn't mention the but with mother knowing secretly of her sons death. She was the only one with clear memories of both universes and yes I also thought Donnie was laughing because he was accepting his own death and maybe he knew it was coming and told his mother in secret because he wanted one person to know what was happning to him. Sorry for long comment
what makes you think donie's mom know about donnie'd death
Cause there's an scene between them near the end where Donnie finally hugs her and she has the look on her face that she knows and she's going to loose him. Also right at the end she says hi to Gretchen, why would she do this if she wasn't supposed to remember her, unless Donnie told his mother, but I just think he would have wanted at least one person to know, wouldn't you want someone to know if you where in his situation?
And also she's casually have a smoke whilst everyone else is distraught, as though she's already done her grieving. It's Donnie Darko though so it's up for interpretation that's just my opinion.
I think he is laughing because he knows he is going to die. And dieing alone was his worst fear. But maybe he accepts it and is glad it is finally over. Also I think Gretchen does remember. Or at least she feels like she knows who Donnie's mother is as referenced at the very end when both Gretchen and Donnie's mother recognize each other from the dejavu.
I favorited this video, it takes months to get a reply on places like IMDb, so I'll chance asking here. I suppose spoilers are a part of this video, and I have a question I haven't seen asked. It's not that relevant to the film, but why was the doctor giving Donnie placebos?? He clearly was in need of some sort of medication, IMO. At least from what she knew in the Primary Universe.
***** Yeah, she was probably testing him since she chose the hypnotherapy - never thought of that! Thanks!
+Sarah McKinney is called psedotherapy, she gave placebos to check whether he's going to respond to the medication or not.
hitesh dsouza Ah, okay, awesome, thanks! If my mom were here I could ask her... RIP! So, thank you for responding and explaining! Have a great day! :))
Sarah McKinney I'm sorry to hear that and your welcome.Have a good one :)
+lee stevens Placebo`s are one of the things that I can`t understand. Donnie at the end of the movie is totally unhinged. He admits during hypnosis that he flooded school and burnt Jim`s house. When he tells that to his psychologist she let`s him go home and as a goodbye tells him that his pills are placebo. As far as I know (I`m no psychologist) you never tell your patient that he is on placebo. If placebo doesn`t work, you give your patient real medication. Especially in case of mental illness. Imagine that you have therapy sessions for months if not years, and after that time your doctor tells you: by the way your medication is placebo. First of all it destroys any trust and relationship you had with your therapist.
If we go with explanation in the video, we can assume that doctor was Manipulated Living doing her job to make sure Danny would do his part. And placebo, and the fact that she told him about it were part of the plan to make him do his part. Because if she gave him real medication, he would probably never go off the rails in a first place.
PS. Just finished this movie. The more I think about it the more I love it. Wish there was more movies like this one!
Thank you for the explanation: everything you said ties it all together, and I thought I understood the movie.
I read The History of Time Travel and couldn't understand the categorization of people and objects -- so thank you for clarifying it.
It was made clear that Donnie was brilliant; the Headmaster said his test scores were 'intimidating'.
It becomes obvious that Donnie is an outlier, someone who perceives and experiences life completely different than the people around him, including, sadly, his family.
Maybe he's laughing because he realises that they FAILED.
Here is why they failed:
- the point of the tangent universe was to return the engine of the plane to the prime universe. Donnie succeeded. BUT the engine disappeared from the prime universe 20 days later which means that there still are TWO engines!
- If Donnie is dead, then 20 days later the loop will start again.
Basically he realises it's either an ever-lasting loop OR the End of the world. He laughs.
this movie blows my mind when i try to think of it, but this video gives a logical and reasonable explanation, it answers everything you need to know really, although you could go on forever asking 'why'
He came back through time to save Grechen, he figured out time travel system and was laughing in bed because that portal actually worked. He took her dead body in car, watched her until last moment with smile like ''I'm gonna save you girl, I'll gladly give my life for you''
but if donnie knew tht as long as he's alive Gretchen and frank will die, why didnt he try to change what would happen? As he's lying in his bed he could've still saved himself. follow through with everything tht happened in the tangent universe and alter the course it took for frank and Gretchen's demise.
oh never mind tht because the universe would find other ways to kill them as long as he lives
then it'd turn into a final destination movie
+Jade Renee haha true tht
That or create even more tangent universes maybe? That'd be confusing as hell
+mrwindupbird101 I like tht theory. even better I think they should've made "S. Darko" tht way like a rendition of the tangent universe Donnie went through. they could've found a way to make it a continuation of Donnie's work. idk if I'm explaining my thoughts clearly. I hope u get what I mean. I'm thinking tht there could've been a mistake donnie made and tht mistake lead to "S Darko"
Good job. Excellent theory. Definitely food for thought. They need to make more films as good as Donne darko. I'd love another film like this, not another darko but something else. I still won't watch darko 2 because I know it will ruin this film.
Also in the middle of the movie (I think) when he is talking to his psychologist about being alone he said something about not debating it anymore, because he won't come to an answer even if he thinks about if his whole life. And in another scene with the psychologist she said that when the skies open it will only be you and Frank. I don't know if this has anything to do with anything, my brain can't handle it.. But it might be something that he knows that he won't have to worry about being alone if he stays in his bed.. There are so many different theories about why he does it but I guess this is one.
For me one of the most absurde things is that both "Killing Moon" and "Mad World" seemed to be written just for this movie, they are too on point. I find it hard to believe that they were written before.
Donnie being conscious of the fact that he will die makes more sense as, when gretchet asked him " is it like a super hero name?" and he replies "what makes you think i am not"
and in the end he acts like one.
It's loop and every time he goes through it he comes back as frank to wake himself, each time through the loop with more information to push him towards not getting out of the bed. When he's sleeping he subconsciously wakes himself up as frank to leave the house so that he doesn't die alone. In the end he's laughing because he had came to terms with dying because Gretchen made him not feel alone in the final tangent universe.
no greater love than to lie down your life for your friends
The movie has nothing to do with "time travel" which is just a metaphor for the underlying theme. The movie is about the transcendental nature of Truth, and that the existential search for it. That search for truth is extremely dangerous, and can lead to insanity and/or death. The movie begins and ends by showing the sketch of the "eye" in Donnie's room. That eye is the ancient symbol of the search for truth/knowledge. In the end, you see a skull at the center of the eye, signifying the dangers. Yet, the search for Truth is still necessary, and only those who are willing to sacrifice everything are willing to undertake that journey. Donnie Darko tries to search for the Truth, and his honest about his own ignorance and limitations, but still fails to complete the journey, and bring back some useful knowledge for humanity. Thus, it was as if his journey never existed at all and was erased (that is the ending.) Even still, his tale is worth telling, and he is the "hero", because the other characters either lie and pretend to know the truth (the motivational speaker), or are ambivalent at its existence (the postmodernist English teacher) or only accept the empirical (Science teacher) or are superficial political bandwagon types (his sister). Only Donnie is truly interested in Truth, even though he has no idea how to find it... But at least he tried... That's the movie.
I think Donnie's laughter at the end is his realization that he, something beautiful (human being and all), was being destroyed for no reason (the tangent universe' engine killed him and he had to destroy himself to right the world viz. to save the primary universe.) This is similar to how The Driver in "The Destructors" laughs at the end:
“How dare you laugh,” Mr. Thomas said. “It was my house. My house.”
“I’m sorry,” the driver said, making heroic efforts, but when he remembered
the sudden check to his lorry, the crash of bricks falling, he became
convulsed again. One moment the house had stood there with such dignity
between the bomb sites like a man in a top hat, and then, bang, crash, there
wasn’t anything left-not anything. He said, “I’m sorry. I can’t help it, Mr.
Thomas. There’s nothing personal, but you got to admit it’s funny.”
My $.02. Thoughts?
He also laughs because "there's so much to look forward to in death" thats y there's that drawing with frank in his eye at the end. Because I think he rembers subconsciously and knows it was all worth it and he knows frank is with him too so he really doesn't die alone
Great explanation. I had a vague idea of what I thought it was about, but that's kind of rounded it up for me. Though, I'm still a bit unsure due to the apparent infinite time loop involved. Which always gets me, in everything they're involved in.
I think what caused the tangent universe was the fact that Donnie got up and walked out of the house. Frank was like a figment of Donnie's imagination. Donnie was basically crazy. The airplane engine fell on his house, and he was supposed to die. Because of his vision of Frank telling him to wake up, he escaped his inevitable death. He changed fate, and it screwed up everything around him. It was kind of a cross between Final Destination and The Butterfly Effect. By escaping death, he put his world onto an alternative timeline, kind of like in Back to the Future 2, where Biff becomes a rich and powerful man, and everything else around him goes to hell. Donnie gains powers that allow him to manipulate time, which is part of him being able to see the tube shaped things coming out of people, where he can basically see where they are going in the future. So he pushes time back, and stays in the house and accepts his fate and dies, so that everybody around him can continue with their normal lives. Really, you're kind of left at the end wondering if that even happened at all, or was it all just a weird dream he had. But Gretchen comes by the house and she kind of feels a connection to him dying, even though she didn't even know him.
“Not only am I a teacher, but I am also the mother of a Middlesex child. Therefore, I am the only person here who transcends the parent-teacher bridge.” - Kitty Farmer
My interpretation of this movie is that Donnie's drugs cause him to be sleep walking and biking. He survived the crash but in order to save the world he goes back in time to die to reverse the events that occurred.
Donnie survives the engine falling in the beginning because he was woken up by frank who brings him outside.
Near the end of the movie, Donnie uses his superpowers to create the situation where the plane's engine comes off and falls through the tornado-thing into his room.
He laughs when he wakes up because he knows it worked.
And they pitched this to some folks who thought it was worth risking millions of dollars, thinking it would be a successful movie.
my interpretation on the last laugh is Darko perceives all the experiences in UT as his dream. Even though it was real, he thinks that he just had a silly dream, and goes back to sleep without knowing that he will be killed by the jet engine.
I'm surprised you missed the part where he was happy to die. I agree with your theory about why he was happy. but i also remember him talking about death like it was a good thing. and something he wanted. he didn't specifically mention that he wanted to die. but i thought it was pretty clear that he did. at the end he says when the world comes to an end, he can breathe a sigh of relief. thanks for the explanation. that was awesome! and definitely a great movie.