Hey everyone!
It's been a long time since I've last posted, but no one actually reads this blog, so does it really matter? Today I want to talk about Donnie Darko. I know it's not a book, but this is my blog and frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
I literally just finished Donnie Darko. Like three seconds ago. This is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen, and I really want to ramble on a little about an interesting motif I found in the movie. In Donnie Darko, Donnie is portrayed as something like Christ. Donnie punishes the bad (lighting Cunnigham's house on fire), has apostles that ultimately abandon him (remember the scene where his two friends run away before Donnie and Gretchen are about to be beat up by the school bullies), and fights off against Satan (being Frank). Donnie also has extraordinary abilities, as demonstrated by his ability to see the motion of an object before that motion has actually occurred. The most glaringly obvious moment occurs when Donnie leaves the theater to go set Cunnigham's house on fire. In an incredibly brilliant scene, the camera pans up to read the marque above Donnie's head. The marquee reads "The Last Temptation of Christ." Directly after this is shown, Donnie follows Frank's last order and burns down Cunnigham's house.
However, Donnie is not fully a Christ character. Part of this is shown in the scene when Donnie is faced with a temptation by Frank (Satan) but does not resist. Unlike Christ, Donnie follows every order given by Frank. Why? Additionally, Frank is not an altogether evil character. Donnie believes that he is going to kill everyone, but we see that Donnie actually kills him before he is able to harm anyone else. Sure, he killed Gretchen, but that was entirely on accident. Ultimately, Donnie does crucify himself to save the world, but he never actually comes back.
So where does that leave us? We have a Christ figure who isn't Christ, Satan who isn't Satan, a plot that is so deliciously twisted, and the sudden desire to rewatch again and again and again in the hopes that some ounce of sense might be found. Also, did any of this really even happen? Was Donnie delusional? This is the kind of movie you could sit and ponder for hours and debate it to death, but there isn't really an answer.
This movie deserves all the pizza.
