I didn't really understand the film 'Donnie Darko' so could you explain it to me in detail please?

Question

I didn't really understand the film 'Donnie Darko' so could you explain it to me in detail please?

Answer 1

its one of those films, you're not really meant to understand,, i think. it leaves a lot up to the imagination.

Answer 2

Every time I try to explain it to someone I come up with a new theory, or go back to the old one...  I love that about this film.

Answer 3

Well he either time travelled at the point of his death, when the plane engine hit his house, or it was his life flashing by him just before his death. Its a pretty weird film, but a cracking soundtrack.

Answer 4

There's nothing to understand.

The movie was a complete waste of time.

Answer 5

i've watched it over 20 times, and still dont know. im too busy oogling over jake gyllenhaal, mmmmmmm..

here's an explanition that i cant be bothered reading lol

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/books/mess...

Answer 6

S. Darko takes place in 1995, 7 years after the original film. It follows Donnie Darko's younger sister, Samantha, who, in the wake of his death, has found herself at age 17 with a broken family, mired in feelings of insignificance.[2] When she and her best friend Corey are plagued by bizarre visions, they set off on a road trip to Los Angeles,[3] following Frank's ghost. They arrive at a small town in the midst of a meteorite crash and begin to see the future.

Answer 7

He sees the future and changes it.  The end.

Answer 8

there's a very good plot synopsis on imdb.com that gives you all the detail of the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/syno...

hopefully that will help you understand better- i agree though, it is rather confusing :S

Answer 9

Basically Donnie is the center of time and space.If he was in his room when the airplane engine fell,time and space were be perfectly fine.Check these links for a better explanation:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/books/mess...

http://www.moviemistakes.com/film2127/qu...

Answer 10

Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhall) is a troubled teenager in suburban Maryland. A schizophrenic with a history of violence, he has recently stopped taking his medication and as a result is sleepwalking. His parents, Rose and Eddie (Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osborne) and his sisters, Elizabeth and Samantha (Maggie Gyllenhall and Daveigh Chase), worry about him. One night at dinner, Donnie and his sister get into a profane argument during which Elizabeth reveals she knows Donnie is no longer taking his medication. Rose confronts Donnie in his bedroom and he calls her a *****. Guilty, Donnie resumes taking his medication. On October 2nd, however, he sleepwalks and meets Frank, a man in a menacing bunny costume. Frank tells him that in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and12 seconds, the world will end. That night, a jet engine mysteriously crashes through the roof of the Darkos' house, destroying Donnie's room. Had he not been sleepwalking, he would have been killed.....

To read the rest use the link!!  

Answer 11

Donnie Darko is about time travel and irony.

The story starts October 2 1988.

Donnie is a paranoid skitzophfrenic teenager who is currently off his meds.  Asleep in his room, Donnie hears a voice of "Frank" - an imaginary friend, and sleepwalks out of his bedroom, thus avoiding being killed by a mysterious airplane engine that falls through his bedroom ceiling.  Frank, the guy in a freaky-looking rabbit suit, warns Donnie that the world will end in 28 days 6 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds.  Frank also talks to Donnie and time travel - and tells him that it is possible.

It is later discovered that no one is able to tell where the plane engine came from and what happened to the plane.

Donnie is befriended by the new girl at school, Gretchen, who herself has had a pretty tragic life.  They go "steady" and are a perfect match as they both share the same view of wishing to be able to travel back in time to avoid bad things in their lives from happening.

A book about time travel, written by Ms Sparrow, a crazy old lady that lives not far from Donnie's home, is given to Donnie by one of his terachers, and upon reading it, Donnie discovers that everything weird he's been seeing over the past couple of weeks are discribed in detail in the book.  The book also talks about "time tunnels" and the possibility of traveling through time.

Donnie, who was pursuaded by Frank to do so, does some bad things, eg. busts the watermain and floods the entire school - he also sets a local modivational speaker's house on fire - which ends up having a hidden dungeon full of kiddie-p**n. As the 28 days comes nearer, events start to happen which lead Donnie to believe that the world really is going to end.

Donnie's younger sister and her dance group are given the opportunity to perform on "Star search" in Los Angeles.  Donnie's Dad is away on Business so his mum takes the dance troup to LA to perform.

Donnie's older sister, Elizabeth, is left in charge.  Elizabeth is accepted into Harvard and Donnie says they should throw a Halloween party to celebrate, which Elizabeth agrees to.

On the night of the party, Gretchen turns up to Donnie's house and tells him her mother has suddenly disappeared.  Donnie takes her inside the house and "comforts" her.

At midnight, Donnie realises that the 28 days are over and he has only 6 hours till the world ends.  Convinced that Frank and Ms Sparrow are connected, Donnie decides to go to Ms Sparrows house to talk to her about the world ending.  Donnie takes gretchen and his two friends with him.

When they get there, they're assulted by the School bullies, who are trying to rob Ms Sparrow's house.  Gretchen is thrown dazed on the road, where she is hit by a car.

Gretchen is killed.  Ironically, the guy driving the car is dressed in the same bunny suit Frank wears.  The wearer of the suit is actually Elizabeth's boyfriend - Frank (Elizabeth is Donnie's sister).  In the heat of the moment, Donnie shots Frank in his right eye (red eye) killing him instantly.  Donnie wishes he could go back in time and "change" what happened.

Donnie carries Gretchen's body to his house, steals his parents car and drives to the hills, where he sees a time tunnel forming.



As it happens, Donnie's mum and younger sister, Samantha, are on a red eye flight back from Los Angeles.  The plane hits turbulance due to the time tunnel and one of the engines breaks free and falls through the time tunnel.

Donnie, grieving over the loss of Gretchen, decides to drive through the time tunnel.

More irony..........................the plane engine that fell in his room is from the red eye flight his mum and sister are on, they're flying back from Samantha performs on Star Search.

References to red eye - the flight back from LA and Frank's "red eye" where Donnie shoots him.

Great film, A little strange, but it definately gets you thinking.

Answer 12

This is how I saw it- he should have died when the engine hit his house. Because he didn’t, death, in the form of a mangy rabbit follows him around. Then he does die in a similar accident and the world is back in balance.  

Answer 13

I would leave it at you didn't really understand the film as it was seriously pants i have never seen a film and been so bored and disappointed talk about a waste of time.