About
About the Site Content
This site is for young adults, from high school through college, that have seen Donnie Darko and wish to draw deeper understanding about the film and their own coming of age experiences. It was constructed for our Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures 195H class, for which the theme is "Coming of Age." This site's focus is on the themes in the film Donnie Darko: Death, Religion, Sanity, Fear and Love. This site seeks to analyze how these themes shed light on people's own coming of age experiences. The film can be very confusing, and is one that is better understood when watched subsequent times.
Donnie Darko tells the story of a high school senior by the name Donnie, who meets a 6' tall bunny rabbit, a person in a Halloween rabbit costume named Frank, that tells him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. As the film progresses, Donnie struggles to rationalize whether or not this is real. In episodes of strange trance-like states when Donne first met Frank, he sees him more and more and Frank begins to explain cryptically what's going on. Strange things occur in the community, which all seem to revolve around Donnie. As the movie draws to a close, he realizes what it is he must do to prevent the end of the world and he comes to terms with it.
Donnie Darko tells the story of a high school senior by the name Donnie, who meets a 6' tall bunny rabbit, a person in a Halloween rabbit costume named Frank, that tells him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. As the film progresses, Donnie struggles to rationalize whether or not this is real. In episodes of strange trance-like states when Donne first met Frank, he sees him more and more and Frank begins to explain cryptically what's going on. Strange things occur in the community, which all seem to revolve around Donnie. As the movie draws to a close, he realizes what it is he must do to prevent the end of the world and he comes to terms with it.
About Coming of Age
Coming of age is a process in which one transitions from a state of youth to an adult. The definition developed and used by the authors was;
"The process of learning how to be your own person and be responsible for your own decisions and choices in life; accepting the consequences of them and also understand how they affect other people."
In life there are many media outlets which help people do this: books, music, television shows, movies, etc. Donnie Darko is one of those films that helps its audience understand and come to terms with the struggles in their own lives, while telling a story.
"The process of learning how to be your own person and be responsible for your own decisions and choices in life; accepting the consequences of them and also understand how they affect other people."
In life there are many media outlets which help people do this: books, music, television shows, movies, etc. Donnie Darko is one of those films that helps its audience understand and come to terms with the struggles in their own lives, while telling a story.
About The Authors
My name is James Smith and I am a senior Civil Engineering major at
Michigan State University. Donnie Darko was chosen to illustrate coming
of age because it is my favorite film, and I have seen it at least two dozen
times. More importantly, it was chosen because it helped me come to
terms with my epilepsy diagnosis in high school and conquer my fear
of death in order to move forward with my life, which was a big part
of my own coming of age experience. Among many other hobbies, I've
always been a big movie buff and enjoyed watching movies in every genre,
particularly those with something to say, and Donnie Darko was the one
which spoke to me to the highest degree. Donnie and his experiences
with home life and school are ones that most young adults both in high
school and college can relate to.
My name is Abhishek Roy, and I am a Freshman Finance major at Michigan State University. Donnie Darko was chosen because it utilizes the theme of coming of age throughout the film. Although I have no personal affinity or connection to the different plots within the film, I still think the message is universal and addressed a topic which most people are generally aware of, since most people experience similar events. However, I do have an affinity towards coming-of-age stories, such as the Harry Potter series, which address universal issues internally and externally that directly affect coming of age processes.
Works Cited
- Axelrod, Julie. "The 5 Stages of Loss and Grief - Psych Central." Psych Central.com. Psych Central, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014
- Bradshaw, Peter. "Donnie Darko." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 Oct. 2002. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
- Breedlove, S. Marc, and Neil V. Watson. Biological Psychology: An Introduction to Behavioral, Cognitive, and Clinical Neuroscience. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2013. Print.
- Donnie Darko. Dir. Richard Kelly. Perf. Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell. Twentieth Century Fox, 2001. DVD.
- Kelly, Richard, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Kevin Conroy. Scott. The Donnie Darko Book. London: Faber and Faber, 2003. Print.
- Smith, Dan. "Movie Explanation." Donnie Darko:. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.