donnie darko

no. 33 Donnie Darko Director's Cut

I watched the original release in 2003. It wasn't the greatest time as I was pretty symptomatic; sometimes odd things settle in my brain and I have a hard time letting them go. I can't say I can differentiate the Director's cut...but I'm sure Richard Kelly put a new spin on it, I hope. What other reason is there for releasing a Director's Cut?

DD was originally released in the States after 9/11 and it was marketed all wrong. This isn't a teen flick, horror, slasher, etc. It may share some features, but it's pretty deep, more than the typical US teen is going to get. The overwhelming fear of being alone sits at the core. Donnie's therapy session points that out, after Grandma Death whispers, "Every living creature on earth dies alone," he's done debating the existence of God. To a large part, I agree with him. His therapist is correct in calling him Agnostic. I was a little younger than what he's portrayed when I came to the same conclusion, something's there, I don't know what it is and I can't prove it.

Time travel? Primary and Tangent Universes? Manipulated Living? The director wrote the "Philosophy of Time Travel" to be used in the movie, but doesn't give us all the chapter headings...I think it's because the movie's audience wouldn't really get it, so he gives us all we need to know. It's like Daniel Faraday trying to explain Time Travel on the Island to Sawyer :) There's only so much we need to know.

Time travel is really just a plot devise in order to give Donnie a mini do-over. He's given a 28 day chance to do things he'd really like to, like feel love, not to feel alone. Granted, he pulls some pretty great stunts, but they show people for what they truly are. He's able to unveil the truth, say things he might not otherwise. Not quite redemption, which we see so often in TT themes, but a reboot, if you will.

Do I like how they injected the whole schizophrenia concept into the film? Dunno. It allows Donnie to get a free pass on some questionable activities in order to move the plot forward. His therapy sessions allow for some exposition. The concept of a placebo med was pretty mean, I didn't like that, but at least it told Donnie that what was going on was him, real, not a byproduct of his meds.

I really liked this dialogue, so I'm posting it.

"What did Roberta Sparrow say to you?"

"She said that every living creature on Earth dies alone."

"How did that make you feel?"

"It reminded me of my dog, Callie. She died when I was eight and she crawled underneath the porch."

"To die?"

"To be alone."

"Do you feel alone right now?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'd like to believe I'm not, but, just, I've just never seen any proof, so I, I just don't debate it anymore. It's like I could spend my whole life debating it over and over again, weighing the pros and cons, and in the end, I still wouldn't have any proof so I just, I just don't debate it anymore. (laughs) It's absurd."

"The search for God is absurd?"

"It is if everyone dies alone."

"Does that scare you?"

"I don't want to be alone."