Donnie Darko (2001)
8/10
A complex story about adolescence, alternate realities, and the possibility that we are not masters of our own destiny
9 November 2023
At first, Donnie Darko is a difficult film to understand and can seem absurd. What helps a lot to understand it and has made it a very beloved film is taking into account the concepts of parallel realities. It mentions time travel and although that is not exactly witnessed, the complexity of the film is based more on the fourth dimension. Donnie is the protagonist of a science fiction story in a parallel world, which is forced to play a role to prevent the destruction of existence itself. The mysterious Frank and many around Donnie become pawns for him to achieve his goal. The film mixes a whole series of elements, allegories, metaphors and messages that make it a quite enigmatic film. Using a book given to Donnie, he gives clues that the world Donnie stars in is not what the viewer initially thinks. The film uses Donnie and the events of the story quite a bit to raise the point that everything that happens in the world is connected and therefore the events of the world are part of a grand scheme. That would imply that all the actions and decisions that human beings take are already planned and that destiny is what really controls our lives. What would be raised would be something compared to the Loki series that raises the idea that there is no free will and that we must all fulfill a destiny that has been implanted in us to maintain a universal order. Even according to the philosophy of The Matrix, the decision is an illusion and the paradox arises as to whether we can really control our destiny or are we only tools of a great scheme forged by destiny. Donnie questions what he has to do a lot and that makes you think about what consequences there could be in the universe if someone goes off their path, breaking the scheme that maintains universal order. The Butterfly Effect theory and even other time travel films raise the question of what things would be like if such important events had not occurred. The film also gives Donnie a savior role, turning him into an allegory for Jesus Christ and other martyrs whose sacrifices were essential to a cause. The mention of the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" is also a key because of the plot it had. Like that film, Donnie Darko is a story about sacrifice and death as a necessary destiny for future events and for the universal scheme. In that aspect, the film has a biblical metaphor behind it. Another element that makes up this film is its allegory about adolescence and it is something that is reflected in Donnie when upon entering that stage, he asks himself many questions, reflects a lot, knows love and suffers this internal struggle about whether to fulfill his destination. Frank even becomes his guide of sorts and symbolizes the aggressive rebellion that many young people go through. It can be said that the film knows how to use Donnie to represent the psychology of young people and think about the kind of role that destiny has in store for them. It is not strange that it has some moments of cringe humor that are characteristic of teenagers. It can be concluded that Donnie Dark is another independent film with an unconventional plot that gives it a lot of resistance, although it leaves a couple of doubts to decipher. It is not a film that can be understood by those who do not take into account the aforementioned elements, but all the elements that characterize it are what make it an authentic cult film. It is not a film recommended for everyone, only for educated people and movie buffs. My final rating for this movie is an 8/10.
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