A Critique of Donnie Darko, a Movie by Richard Kelly

Donnie Darko is a troubled schizophrenic teenager. Who lives in the picturesque American suburb of Middlesex. When an unidentified giant aeroplane engine crashes into his room, a chain of mysterious events is triggered. Donnie is visited in his sleep by a giant bunny called Frank, god-like prophet who has a gunshot wound over his eye, encourages him to sleepwalk, and consequently, saves Donnie from the jet engine, telling him that the world will end in 28 days. As this day (Halloween) approaches, Donnie stops taking his medication, becomes increasingly detached from reality and alienated from his quietly dysfunctional family and frustrating school life. His only respites are his new girlfriend Gretchen, Frank's night time visits, and his discovery of the possibility of time travel, to which he is sure Frank is linked. The plot takes a devastating turn, as on Halloween, Gretchen is fatally hit by a speeding car. The driver steps from behind the wheel, to be revealed as none other than Frank. Donnie, overcome with rage and grief, kills Frank with one lethal shot to the head, before fleeing with Gretchen's body. Donnie realises the only way to change the course of events. Is to go back in time (utilising the break in the space/time continuum. That is, the trigger for the end of the world), be killed by the falling jet engine and in turn, avert the world's end. The film ends with this shift in time and the vindication of Donnie's ideas (formerly attributed to mental illness). With Donnie's family grieving outside their house as emergency services rush to the scene. Gretchen, a stranger to Donnie at this point, cycles past and waves, unaware of his sacrifice for her. Sub-plotlines revolve around the satirical characters of life-coach/motivational speaker Jim Cunningham. Who is responsible for a kiddy porn ring, and evangelistic teacher Kitty Farmer, a devout follower of Cunningham, spearhead of the "Free Jim Cunningham Campaign" and leader of "Sparkle Motion", award-winning dance team involving Donnie's sister Sam.

What Imaginative Journeys Are Conveyed in the Text?

"Donnie Darko" explores an imaginative journey of protagonist Donnie for completeness. And self- discovery, an inner journey which results in a major revelation. And concerns imaginative journeys which take place in fantasy realms, deal with deep, intense emotion and seek to reconcile the conflicts and opposites in one's past. Donnie embarks on an imaginary journey to escape from a constrictive reality (using imagination to free himself), which involve an unengaging school life, dysfunctional family setting and inner torment. On this journey, he explores the concepts of agnosticism and the idea that every living thing is a creation of God and "God's master plan". Meanwhile, the composer, Richard Kelly, shows the responder that an imaginary journey can also be an extrapolation of an aspect of contemporary society, and therefore, a commentary on its nature, by exaggerating and satirising American suburbia and education systems. In this sense, "Donnie Darko" is an exploration of contemporary society through an imaginary setting.

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How Are These Ideas About Imaginative Journeys Conveyed?(Language forms, medium, features and structures.)

To explore these ideas about imaginative journeys, Kelly utilises satire, parody, and film techniques of sound/music and design. Kelly also uses verisimilitude to transport the viewer on an imaginary journey to the 1980s, with references to Stephen King's "It", the US presidential election campaign (by showing debates between candidates Dukakis and Bush senior) and Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes", published in 1988.

The overall design of Middlesex denotes middle class Americanism, with manicured hedges and lawns, tree-lined streets and family cars. The scene which introduces Middlesex High is very important to how Donnie experiences school in this context. Donnie and his friends are seen stepping off the bus as the camera spirals into focus. A long shot of the school corridor is accompanied by an upbeat song, "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears, while all other sound is eliminated. Here, Kelly visually represents the ideas of alienated, barren school life with uniformed students and dull colours. The principal walks past in oblivion as a student snorts cocaine, girls rehearse dance routines, Gretchen checks her hair in her locker's mirror, and later, a student holds a knife to Donnie's throat in the school toilets. Kelly is visually representing school not as a place of learning, but as a place of rigidity, violence, bullying and boredom, where the curricular activities are irrelevant to student's lives. This is later reinforced in a classroom scene, where Kitty Farmer teaches Jim Cunningham's doctrine. A long shot shows a blackboard with a line from one end to other, divided into "two polar extremes", "FEAR" and "LOVE". When Donnie disagrees with this outlook and refuses to participate in the "lifeline" activity, he is told by Kitty, "If you don't complete the assignment, you'll get a zero for the day".

Renegade teacher Karen Pomeroy (Drew Barrymore) articulates these ideas in her monologue to Principal Cole following her dismissal for refusing to teach such "prescribed nonsense": "I don't think you have a clue what it's like to communicate with this kids...we are losing them to apathy."

Donnie's trips to fantasy realms are presented with wavering and spinning camera movements, extreme close up shots on his eyes and wide shots of clouds. In these scenes, time shifts are shown through oscillating from slow to fast motion. Donnie's first such dream sequence is followed by a visit from Frank. Frank's other-worldly and supernatural qualities are expressed through intense voice distortion and the accompaniment of eerie instrumental music, dominated by orchestral strings and piercing electronic sounds.

The completion of Donnie's imaginative journey is shown at the conclusion of the film. Donnie is shown to be laughing in his bed, just before the jet engine comes crashing down. He has come to an understanding that although he is about to die, he is not alone, which is his ultimate epiphany. His ideas about time travel have been vindicated - the mysterious jet engine (which could be attributed to no aeroplane or airline) was the result of a split in the space-time continuum, by mending this split, Donnie has saved world. Kelly shows Donnie laughing with relief and happiness at this achievement.

Explain the Link Between “Frost at Midnight” and “Donnie Darko”. Compare and Contrast Ideas and Techniques

Both Coleridge's "Frost at Midnight" and Kelly's "Donnie Darko" explore the concepts of epiphany and revelation through an inner journey, and concern a spiritual journey for peace, meaning and self- discovery while dealing with deep, intense emotion.

Both texts explore similar ideas about imaginative journeys through the portrayal of time shifts, fantasy realms and the depiction of prison-like education institutions. Both texts concern the power of the imagination to escape reality and change one's perception of the world, and the time for this is midnight, which "suits...abstruser musings" for both Donnie and Coleridge. Through this meditative state and prompted by the "stranger" in the grate, his only other "companionable form", Coleridge begins to transcend the reality of his location and time to delve into his past, a montage of memories, before returning to the future. Coleridge's hope for the future is his babe and the inspirational force for change is nature.

The poet's memories of his experience of a sterile educational environment stir a lyrical call for change concerning his son's future education. Coleridge explores these ideas through blank prose in four stanzas in a conversational tone. The flexibility of the meter complements the spontaneous, impulsive nature of a poem containing both personal reflection and joyous visions. Further, Coleridge contrasts visual imagery of metaphorical prison bars (and choice of words: "pent") with his daydreams of better childhood memories. Kelly paints a similarly bleak visual picture of Middlesex school as a place where students are taught to conform using threats and fear (Kitty Farmer: "If you don't complete the assignment, you'll get a zero for the day."). Donnie, too, has found school to be not just boring, but unconducive to learning and prison-like. His "stern preceptor" is Kitty Farmer.

Coleridge's imaginative journey leads him to a revelation - in the last stanza, he uses the idea that all seasons will be sweet to his son to represent the reconciliation of opposites that exist in his life: past/future, city/country, preceptor/universal teacher. This outlines his central theme: that everything his child learns will come from God, as all things do. By concluding the poem with the image of "silent icicles, quietly shining to the quiet moon", he concludes on a soft, reflective note (the moon does not emanate light, it merely reflects) which suits his abstruser musings. Further, the use of the word "shining" reinforces this tone of hope, joy and renewal.f

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