The entire movie is an arguement for Theism, specifically Christianity. Frank is God. Donnie is Jesus. Frank shows Donnie the things that will happen if he doesn't die, but Donnie is afriad to die because he isn't sure if God is real. Frank shows Donnie how everything in life is predetermined (the wormholes coming out of characters' chests). Donnie believes this predetermination is God and decides to die.
A major tenent in Christianity is the idea of free will (ironic, yes, but no less true). Calvinists are the ones that believe in predestination. Christians do not, or at least aren't supposed to.Quote:
The entire movie is an arguement for Theism, specifically Christianity. Frank is God. Donnie is Jesus. Frank shows Donnie the things that will happen if he doesn't die, but Donnie is afriad to die because he isn't sure if God is real. Frank shows Donnie how everything in life is predetermined (the wormholes coming out of characters' chests). Donnie believes this predetermination is God and decides to die.
That is why Frank gives Donnie the choice to live or die.Quote:
A major tenent in Christianity is the idea of free will (ironic, yes, but no less true). Calvinists are the ones that believe in predestination. Christians do not, or at least aren't supposed to.
Donny Darko is a stupid movie. There...I said it! I only watched it once and I don't get why people say it was so hard to understand. What I don't understand is why Donny is so smurfing stupid. Frank showed him the future and let him live it out. BUT since Donny knows the future he can change it. He can choose not to burn the house down and thus his mom wouldn't go away and thus no halloween party at his house and it just changes everything. The future is changed. Donny choose the pussy way out of everything. He could have saved everyone and lived.
The movie was interesting in certain ways but it is way to simple to understand.
In the end this is the opposite of its a wonderful life.
*YAAAAAWN*
Too simple to understand?
No. Donnie has to do all of that stuff in order to save the Primary Universe. If he would have simply not done all of those things, he would not have realized he had to send the engine back to save the people he cared about. He did not take "the pussy way out" of anything. And as for him dying, he most likely had very faint recollection of the Tangent Universe, hence him not remembering the engine, and hence Frank not being there to save him.Quote:
Originally Posted by edczxcvbnm
Oh and BTW, Donnie DOES NOT know the future, and Frank did not show it to him. Frank is simply there to insure Donnie fufills his destiny. Donnie does kind of see what he must do, but he does not know exactly the effects it will have. But as the movie progresses, he slowly begins to piece things together. He trusts Frank's words, because he saved his life, and thinks that Frank is there to guide him. If he disobeyed Frank, he would'nt have closed the Tangent because he never would have gotten to that point when the engine falls off the plane, which is how the whole movie begins anyways. Everything happens for a reason.
Sorry for the rant but I just wanted to clear things up.
Hehe. It's funny that almost every time I hear somebody hated that movie, they make it clear they didn't get it at all.
It's my favorite movie, and I rarely single out favorites. I actually just watched it tonight, and was delighted to see a new thread on it here. When I first saw Donnie Darko, a lot of crap was going on in my life that seemed entirely random but all effected each other in the most profound ways... so I resonated. I'm attached.
I must admit, I really don't like the Director's Cut. Everything is explained and turns out to be very simple. I much prefer the theatrical version that promotes nothing but chaos, which actually is anything but. I liked how open it was. Oh well.