Impact
The first question anyone asks when you tell them about a movie they've not heard of is, "What is it about?" Donnie Darko is one of the films where this is hardest to do, as Jake Gyllenhaal the actor that plays Donnie reveals in the book by the director Richard Kelly, The Donnie Darko Book:
"What is Donnie Darko about? [...] This seems like a very simple answer to a perplexingly complex movie, but when you think about it, it gets to the very crux of what we all seem to take for granted: our own minds, how they differ, and that we are all entitled to our own interpretation. The struggle begins when, at a certain age, a kid starts to experience the effects of his childhood and the possibility that his upbringing was flawed. It’s hard to accept the idea that there is no ideal. Nothing is perfect. The hardest part, though, is when he or she begins the search for his or her own idea of what is right. It’s scary to search. You never know what resistance you might meet." (Gyllenhaal iv)
"What is Donnie Darko about? [...] This seems like a very simple answer to a perplexingly complex movie, but when you think about it, it gets to the very crux of what we all seem to take for granted: our own minds, how they differ, and that we are all entitled to our own interpretation. The struggle begins when, at a certain age, a kid starts to experience the effects of his childhood and the possibility that his upbringing was flawed. It’s hard to accept the idea that there is no ideal. Nothing is perfect. The hardest part, though, is when he or she begins the search for his or her own idea of what is right. It’s scary to search. You never know what resistance you might meet." (Gyllenhaal iv)
Coming of age is 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 and more. 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.
Donnie's apparent struggle is one that no sane person has had to rationalize, knowing the world is going to end and trying to save it with the guidance of a 6' tall bunny rabbit. However, Donnie struggles with a plethora of other problems that many youths coming of age have had to rationalize: Grasping your place in the world, dealing with loss and your own mortality, questioning one's faith, falling in love, problems at home or school, and dealing with real fears.
Donnie's apparent struggle is one that no sane person has had to rationalize, knowing the world is going to end and trying to save it with the guidance of a 6' tall bunny rabbit. However, Donnie struggles with a plethora of other problems that many youths coming of age have had to rationalize: Grasping your place in the world, dealing with loss and your own mortality, questioning one's faith, falling in love, problems at home or school, and dealing with real fears.
Donnie Darko is a film which can be interpreted in many ways and affects each viewer differently. Everyone that watches the movie will take away something different, and some may not take away anything at all. For many, however, it helps them with their own coming of age experience. It provides a better understanding, particular those in it's high school and college audience, about growing up. It appeals to those of us who may feel out of place or lost during those difficult years where so much is changing. In that sense, we like Donnie, fear being alone while we try to find out place.
For some the movie will help them with their fears about death. Others will pull from his struggle with faith in managing their own. Some may feel more reassured about their mental state. People might gain from a better understanding of fear and love and how they impact their own lives. Some may take from the movie a combination of these or something else entirely. And while some may just find the film a scary movie with dark humor and a confusing plot, many end up taking away so much more. Donnie Darko is one of the notable films that means so many things to so many different people and tells a truly unique story about coming of age.
For some the movie will help them with their fears about death. Others will pull from his struggle with faith in managing their own. Some may feel more reassured about their mental state. People might gain from a better understanding of fear and love and how they impact their own lives. Some may take from the movie a combination of these or something else entirely. And while some may just find the film a scary movie with dark humor and a confusing plot, many end up taking away so much more. Donnie Darko is one of the notable films that means so many things to so many different people and tells a truly unique story about coming of age.