Can someone explain "Donnie Darko" to me?

[battleknight24]

I have to admit it... I didn't quite get what happened at the end...


Spoiler Alert!


Okay...


At the end of the movie, was everything preceding Donnie's death an alternate version of what would have happened had he lived?


Peace,

[CanuckAmok]

1. Yes, that's exactly what I think "happened"

n/t

[Fixated]

2. No. But close

Everything that happened before the end actually happened. At the end he travels back in time in order to let himself die and save his mother, sister, and girlfriend from their deaths. Hence the discussion on time travel throughout the movie.

On Edit: I'm not 100% on this, but I've been debating it for a while and I think it's the best explanation.

[seventhson]

5. I think I agree. Now can you explain Solaris???

I need to see Darko again, but I think you are right.

[librechik]

11. Solaris: At the end of the Universe, an entity that can become "anyone"

feeds off the attachment of others to their loved ones. It convinces a hard-nosed astronaut that his dead wife is still alive. The entity is nourished by his torment as the astronaut tries in vain to heal his unfinished marriage that ended badly.

It's somewhat irrelevant that it's a "haunted space ship" formula flick.

[glitch]

12. Polymorph!

Love time travel parallel universe stuff. I thought 'Frequency' deserved better reviews.

[rbnyc]

6. That was my take. (nt)

[PunkinPi]

7. that's what I got too.

great movie!

[librechik]

8. or at least, that is his comforting vision as he dies

I'm undecided on this one, except that it's a great movie.

I want Fixated's version to be right. But I'm too cynical.

[liberalmuse]

9. I like your explaination.

This is one of my favorite movies. I love time travel/alternate universe/reality movies that you can never quite figure out.

Lynch's 'Mullholland Drive' is another great movie along a similar vein, btw. 'Vanilla Sky', too.

[stinkeefresh]

13. Mulholland Drive is easy as pie - once you get it

no time travel- no alternate universe. Just the same thing that Lynch has been focused on for a long time - dreams.

At the very opening, you are plunged into a red pillow- from that point on what you are seeing is the dream of the blonde character. When she finally wakes up (the last third of the movie) is reality. Only then do you understand why she was having that kind of dream.

She really did pay someone to kill the brunette- but in her dream that woman escapes the hit. In reality she is a completely unsuccessful actress- the dream has her blowing everyone away at an audition and bad things happening to the director who (in real life) doesn't like her.

Very much like a film Lynch loves dearly- The Wizard of Oz.

[ibegurpard]

3. Check out the website

www.donniedarko.com
Although EXTREMELY irritating to navigate (it's kind of like a puzzle), it will give you a lot of information that helps explain what it all meant.
By the way, I loved that movie.

[Blue-Jay]

4. I can't explain it.

Watch it a few more times. You either grok or you don't.

[battleknight24]

10. Yes... BUT.......... on the commentary...

I listened to a lot (but not all) the commentary during the movie, the director and Jake Gylennhal said the movie was about 'divine intervention' and that Donnie literally had to save the world ( hence, his superhero-type name)... the director said something about the universe being out of alignment... etc, etc,...

[Fixated]

14. ....

I've heard that. The divine intervention is his time travel, but I'm not sure about saving the world. I took it as saving his own world, but it might be more than that.

[RebelOne]

15. I didn't understand either film. Duh!!! Guess I'm just dense.