Donnie Darko: The Single Best Time Travel Movie of All Time Explained. One of the unicorns I’ve hunted while writing this blog for the last ten or fifteen years has been the movie Donnie Darko. It’s sort of taunted me from afar, and giggled at me from the peripherals of my vision. And always its been too quick for me to bag. But all that ends here and now. We are going to dismantle the movie Donnie Darko once and for all.
If you are unfamiliar – boy, do a I have a treat for you with this movie… Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly and released in 2001, is a cult classic that has gained a massive following over the years. The film, with a budget of around $4.5 million, stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the tormented lead… a high school student struggling with mental health issues and a vivid imagination. Or maybe something has caused his grasp on reality to snap. We’ll dig into that in the spoilers section… trust me.
But, before we go there, you might want to know whether the movie is for you or not. The movie tells the story of Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal), a teenager living in the suburbs of Virginia in 1988. Donnie is plagued by vivid nightmares and hallucinations, and is visited by a mysterious figure in a rabbit suit named Frank, who tells him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. As the end of the world approaches, Donnie must navigate the complexities of high school, relationships, and his own mental health, all while trying to make sense of Frank’s predictions.
The movie takes the lofty goals of science fiction, wraps them in a serial killer vibe, and pours in a healthy dosage of mental health issues, and the sets the blender on high. It is a complex and thought-provoking film that explores themes of time travel, fate, and free will. Are we the masters of our own domain? Do we control anything at all? Donnie Darko is a dark and brooding film, with a haunting score and a sense of impending doom that permeates throughout the movie. Now, if that sounds like a film made for you? Great… go watch it, and then come back and join us as we attempt to explain the movie and see if we can make any sense out of it.
Donnie Darko Detailed Walkthrough – Spoilers
The Basic Goings On of Donnie Darko
Donnie begins to explore the possibility of time travel and its effect on the world. He starts to question his own sanity and the reality of the situation he finds himself in. He starts to act out and causes trouble at school and home. He also meets a girl named Gretchen who helps him to make sense of the things happening to him.
As the end of the world approaches, Donnie’s actions become increasingly erratic and dangerous.
In the end, it is revealed that Donnie caused a jet engine to fall from the sky, creating a time rift. He sacrifices himself to correct the rift, ultimately saving the world and his loved ones. The movie ends with Donnie’s mother finding a letter that Donnie wrote to her, explaining everything that had happened.
The Philosophy of Time Travel
That quick synopsis probably did nothing for you wrt explaining the movie Donnie Darko. I’m sure. Why? Because there is so much more going on in this movie. So, in order to leave preschool, and at least head towards college, we should talk about the “book” that under-girds Donnie Darko. And this book is entitled, “Philosophy of Time Travel.” To be clear, it’s a totally fictional book even if the framework of the book seems completely realistic. The “author” of said book is one Roberta Sparrow. Sparrow is a retired science teacher who is known as “Grandma Death” in the movie. And Grandma Death’s book is said to contain the secrets of time travel, and this book is one of the most important details to understanding the movie entirely.
Throughout the movie, Donnie is given a series of tasks to complete by Frank, the rabbit-costumed figure who visits him in his sleep. One of these tasks is to find and read the book, and for him to understand the deeper explanations of the ins and outs of time travel. The book also explains the important instructions on how to manipulate space and time travel, as well as a set of instructions on how to manipulate time and space. The actual contents of the book are never revealed in the movie, but we do know that it is because of this book that Donnie finds himself in the spot that he is in.
The Concept of the Tangent Universe in Donnie Darko
Yes, I know I haven’t even started walking you through the details of the movie yet – but before we start – you need to understand the concept of the tangent universe in the Donnie Darko movie. The world we live in now… the actual through-line of everything you know and love? That is the Primary Universe. But in Donnie Darko, the movie investigates something called the “Tangent Universe.” The Tangent Universe is a parallel reality that branches off from our own, and that can only be accessed through time travel. Now, at the opening of the movie, time is glitched, and snaps off of the primary universe through-line, and arrives at the Tangent Universe with the crash of the airplane. The cause for the occurrence of this Tangent Universe is completely a mystery. But some posit that these divergent universes are caused by “corruptions in time.” At least that is what Roberta Sparrow’s book says anyway. But there isn’t really a good explanation for the cause of the reality dislodging in the movie.
But we do know, that at the opening of the movie, with the crash of the plane, and the falling jet engine heading directly for Donnie’s bedroom, that this is the beginning of this alternate reality. We also know that the world in this universe, is heading directly towards a crash with an enormous object known as the “Manipulated Dead.” And, it so happens, that this collision will cause the end of the world in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.
But instead of getting crushed by the hurtling engine, Donnie had been summoned away from his bedroom by a giant bunny rabbit named Frank. Donnie, who has become a bit of an insomniac, has been listening to Frank as he tells him to complete tasks in order to save the broken world… and the coming end of the world. It is Donnie, and Donnie alone that will be able to save the world. But the deeper he goes down the rabbit hole (see what I did there?) the more he begins to question his own sanity. Here’s the problem posed by the movie Donnie Darko. Donnie, saved by the arrival of the crashing jet engine… he begins to realize that he will have to sacrifice himself to restore the rift, and to save the world and everyone he cares about.
Donnie Darko – The Artifact
Within The Philosophy of Time Travel, we are told that when a Tangent Universe is created, an Artifact will also spontaneously bloom into reality. We are told that the Artifacts are always metal, and I believe (within our limited data set of one) that Artifacts are the potential demises of the Living Receiver. I know… I’ll get to that in a moment. We are made aware that when the space and time got duplicated into the tangent universe, a duplicate jet engine was discarded into the airspace over Donnie’s house… and it headed straight towards Donnie’s bedroom.
Now, it is this jet engine that is responsible for making the time space continuum unstable. The only way to save the current universe, is by sending the jet engine back to the real timeline, via a wormhole, in order to realign the misaligned timelines. By doing this, Donnie will balance out the different timelines and will solve the larger problem of the universe and its impending demise.
The Manipulated and the Ensurances
Now, all those that were impacted by the delta between the primary universe and the tangent universe… those that die, are called the Manipulated Dead. Those that are called to resolve the anomalies, are considered to be the Manipulated Living. And these forces are concerned primarily with restoring the world back to the primary universe. That’s the only thing that matters. And it is the Living Receiver’s job (Donnie), to help guide the artifact out of the Tangential Universe and back to the Primary Universe. Make sense? Yes, I know it doesn’t.
But to do this, the Living Receiver has been given powers. They have increased strength. They have the ability to control things with their minds. And they can conjure fire, water, as well as telekinesis. It is his power of telekinesis that allows Donnie the ability to rip the jet engine off the plane and to fire it through the time portal. Remember, Donnie is not aware of his responsibilities… heck, he’s not even realizing that he is in a divergent timeline at the start of the movie. He has no idea what is going on here.
One other detail that the Philosophy of Time Travel that we need to cover, and that is, the idea of Ensurances. Not Insurances. Ensurances… you know… like to ensure something? We know from the book, that the Manipulated – think Frank – are attempting to trap the Living Receiver and force them into eradicating the divergence… to send the Artifact out of the Tangent Universe over to Primary Universe. Why are they doing this? Well, it actually makes common sense if you think about it. They are trying to save themselves. If the Living Receiver fails, they will all die. So, the things that Frank is manipulating Donnie to do? They are all part of a scheme to reunite the Tangent Universe, and snap it back to the Primary Universe. It’d probably make more sense if we explained the ending – and explain how these tasks assisted the over all plan.
The Ending of the movie Donnie Darko Explained
As the movie winds down (down?), we watch as an evil – demon twister in the sky, appears over the top of Donnie’s house. And it is the start of the Tangent Universe’s collapse. Wanting to watch what is about to happen, Donnie heads up the side of a mountain to get a better view. Donnie plucks the plane’s engine from the plane, and utilizes his powers to craft a time portal, through which he is able to send the engine back to the primary universe.
The reason this was possible was because Donnie had been listening to Frank all along. Donnie needed to become Gretchen’s girlfriend again. Why? Because Gretchen was pivotal in the Ensurance Trap. Gretchen didn’t recognize Donnie, he had only fallen in love with her in the Primary Universe, not that Tangent. Gretchen dies, and Donnie is so unhinged over the death that he kills Frank. Frank then becomes the Manipulated Dead. His spirit guide in essence. And it was important for Manipulated Dead Frank to exist in order to save himself at the start. See?
It was through this conundrum that the Manipulated were able to save Donnie and set up the Living Receiver. After being jockeyed into this exact position, Donnie is desperate to do anything to survive, he’s a murderer on the run. But he also now knows what his higher purpose is, and that saving Gretchen is possible… if not himself. If he is able to send the jet engine back through the portal, it will eradicate the last 28 days, and it will realign this broken timeline with the Primary Universe. October 2nd will be where they will return to… a day that will find Gretchen alive and well.
The flashbacks
As we watch the flashbacks, we are actually watching the Tangent unwind, and head backwards to October 2nd. When that concludes, we are actually safely back in the Primary Universe. Donnie awakens in his bed laughing. He had been dreaming. But when he goes back to sleep, he seems to know that these events have somehow given him a deeper meaning of the universe. He seems not afraid anymore about what is hurtling his direction. And as the movie ends, the jet engine hurtles through space and slams into his bedroom, killing him.
Final Questions about Donnie Darko Explained
Q. What’s with the men watching what is going on throughout the movie. The government?
A. Yeah, some believe that government is aware of these temporal anomalies, and that there is even a Temporal Office of some sort. And that throughout the movie, we see these men in the peripheries trying to assist with the realigning of the universe.
Q. What is the deal with Donnie’s mother?
A. At the end of the movie, when Donnie dies, we watch as everyone is crying, but Mrs. Darko was sitting there under the tree smoking. It is pretty widely believed that Donnie’s mother was actually an initiate of Roberta Sparrow’s. That while the government lobotomized Sparrow, they released Mrs. Darko, and she was able to see the signs of Donnie’s being the Living Receiver.
Q. Where does the Artifact come from?
A. (Wait, what’s the Artifact again? THE JET ENGINE, KEEP UP.) If the Tangent is a split of a single timeline – then it really can’t be the same engine as the one that is on the plane in the Primary Universe. We know there has to be two. Well, a popular solution in today’s movies and books would be sort of a multiverse answer. That the Tangent Universe is a copy of the Primary. And within the divergence of the two, maybe there is an error. A glitch in the matrix. Ultimately, there is no clear answer for this question.
Q. Why does the Tangent Universe Occur??
A. Many believe that the Tangent was created when Frank saves Donnie – and doesn’t allow Donnie to die. But that actually doesn’t make sense because we are already within the Tangent at that point. And it can’t be the Artifact that caused the Tangent… because the second jet engine occurs AFTER they enter the Tangent. So, it can’t be that either. So – HOW? We really don’t know. Personally, I would argue that Tangents are spontaneously created through no fault of the Living Receiver. Just a flaw in the universe? I don’t know. And guess what, neither does anyone else.
Q. Did Donnie Darko have to die at the end of the movie?
A. FINALLY! You are starting to ask the REALLY great questions!! Yeah, this one is a really great, and convoluted question. If you were to survey the internet, most people talking about this movie, most would say yes…. YES! Donnie HAD TO DIE. I mean, Donnie created the Tangent by surviving the crash. No. I answered this one already. This can’t be true, because the Tangent was there already. So, if Donnie was created AFTER the Tangent’s Genesis, and we are unsure of it’s germination, or the prime mover for the creation of the Tangent, then we also can presume that Donnie’s death also isn’t required.
Wait, WHAT? Then why does the movie kill him? (Questions within questions.)
Reading through the Philosophy of Time Travel shows us that there were other Living Receivers, and that they always die at the restoration of the Primary Universe timeline. Why? Well, from a Judeo-Christian standpoint, this is an easy one to answer. Donnie is a Christ figure. His death is the sacrifice necessary to be paid as penance or as restoration. It’s a metaphor and resolution known throughout time. And even minus a Judeo-Christian perspective, we understand the idea of sacrifice… death as a covering. Blood as an offering.
Q. If Donnie Didn’t have to Die – what would have happened if he got out of bed at the end?
A. This one is unknowable. Some would say a new, second Tangent would be created a few minutes AFTER the last one. Maybe with a different Living Receiver? I don’t know. But, this question begs the real question. Could it be that the only reason Donnie solved the Tangent is through is coming to peace, coming to terms with, … his own death, his own place in the world? You see his smile, having awakened – dreaming the tangent – he smiles… he’s at peace, he is aware, he is enlightened… he knows. And he has reconciled himself to his coming death.
“Wait! There are still a ton of questions I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!!!” I hear you yelling at the screen. And yeah, I have to tell you internet denizen, that I’m not going to be able to answer 100% of your questions. I have included almost the entirety of the text from The Philosophy of Time Travel at the end of this post, and I will say that most of the answers that I have come to come directly from that. So maybe try your hand at reading that.
Final Thoughts on Donnie Darko
This movie has been one of the final, older, mindjob movies, that has haunted me. Why? I don’t know. I’ve discussed more complicated movies (Primer, Upstream Color, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Old Boy, Mr. Nobody, The Prestige, Predestination, Remainder, Triangle, etc., etc., etc.), but this one has caused me great pause. Donnie Darko has such great mythos attached to it. The book The Philosophy of Time Travel is the anchor upon which this movie is made to rest upon, and it’s clear that there is more going on here than meets the eye. It is a story that is so confident in its own mythos. And understanding that mythos is the core of everything happening here. Confident. This movie is the one truly confident movie that carries itself like its fact. With confidence. And it requires work… it requires effort in order for it to make sense. And even understanding the underpinnings still means it’s illusive. Which is why I gave it such import. I knew I had to get it right. So this was fun to actually see this through to the end (want to see my 3 other aborted attempts? I have them. hahah.) Anyway, with that, here is the the contents of the book from the movie Donnie Darko.
The Philosophy of Time Travel
Foreword
I would like to thank the sisters of the Saint John Chapel in Alexandria, Virginia for their support in my decision. By the grace of God, they are:
- Sister Eleanor Lewis
- Sister Francesca Godiani
- Sister Helen Davis
- Sister Catherine Arnold
- Sister Mary Lee Pond
- Sister Virginia Wessex
This intent of this short book is for it to be used as a simple and direct guide in a time of great danger.
I pray that this is merely a work of fiction.
If it is not, then I pray for you, the reader of this book.
If I am still alive when the events foretold in these pages occur, then I hope that you will find me before it is too late.
Roberta Ann Sparrow
October, 1944
Chapter One: The Tangent Universe
The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril. War, plague, famine and natural disaster are common. Death comes to us all. The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable. Incidents when the fabric of the fourth dimension becomes corrupted are incredibly rare. If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks. Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence.
Chapter Two: Water And Metal
Water and Metal are the key elements of Time Travel. Water is the barrier element for the construction of Time Portals used as gateways between Universes as the Tangent Vortex. Metal is the transitional element for the construction of Artifact Vessels.
Chapter Four: The Artifact And The Living
When a Tangent Universe occurs, those living nearest to the Vortex, will find themselves at the epicenter of a dangerous new world. Artifacts provide the first sign that a Tangent Universe has occurred. If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity. Artifacts are formed from metal, such as an Arrowhead from an ancient Mayan civilization, or a Metal Sword from Medieval Europe. Artifacts returned to the Primary Universe are often linked to religious Iconography, as their appearance on Earth seems to defy logical explanation. Divine intervention is deemed the only logical conclusion for the appearance of the Artifact.
Chapter Six: The Living Receiver
The Living Receiver is chosen to guide the Artifact into position for its journey back to the Primary Universe. No one knows how or why a Receiver will be chosen. The Living Receiver is often blessed with a Fourth Dimensional Powers. These include increased strength, telekinesis, mind control, and the ability to conjure fire and water. The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe. These surrounding the Living Receiver, known as the Manipulated, will fear him and try to destroy him.
Chapter Seven: The Manipulated Living
The Manipulated Living are often the close friends and neighbors of the Living Receiver. They are prone to irrational, bizarre, and often violent behavior. This is the unfortunate result of their task, which is to assist the Living Receiver in returning the Artifact to the Primary Universe. The Manipulated Living will do anything to save themselves from Oblivion.
Chapter Nine: Ensurance Trap
The Manipulated Dead will set an Ensurance Trap. The Living Receiver must ensure the fate of all mankind.
Chapter Ten: The Manipulated Dead
The Manipulated Dead are more powerful than the Living Receiver. If a person dies within the Tangent Dimension, they are able to contact the Living Receiver through the Fourth Dimensional Construct.
The Fourth Dimensional Construct is made of Water.
The Manipulated Dead will manipulate the Living Receiver using the Fourth Dimensional Construct (see Appendix A and B). The Manipulated Dead will often set an Ensurance Trap for the Living Receiver to ensure that the Artifact is returned safely to the Primary Universe. If the Ensurance Trap is successful, the Living Receiver is left with no choice but to use his Fourth Dimensional Power to send the Artifact back in time into the Primary Universe before the Black Hole collapses upon itself.
Chapter Twelve: Dreams
When the Manipulated awaken from their Journey into the Tangent Universe, they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams. Many of them will not remember. Those who do remember the Journey are often overcome with profound remorse for the regretful actions buried within their Dreams, the only physical evidence buried within the Artifact itself, all that remains from the lost world.
Ancient myth tells us of the Mayan Warrior killed by an Arrowhead that had fallen from a cliff, where there was no Army, no enemy to be found. We are told of the Medieval Knight mysteriously impaled by Sword he had not yet built. We are told that these things occur for a reason.
Edited by: CY