Timetravel and Donnie Darko.

[Laika]

Yep. It's a film.

I know this but I thought that given the content of the film and the sheer mind-fucking nature of the film that we could have a good old discussion about the plot, the themes and philosophical questions raised by it.

If any other moderators-and-above want me to move this into TV/Film, then I will... just I'll probably hate you for it :)

What're your respective two-cents on the whole shabang?

[RGL_UK]

Oh nice topic, i think to get this you should all read (http://www.translatum.gr/forum/index.php/topic,1712.0.html).

That is a post from the extract from the book, "philosophy of time travel" (also found in the film).
I cant find the proper link, but i found this.

First of all, the Universe becomes unstable, that is when Donnie begins to be warned of the end of the world. From the book by Sparrow it says:

"If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks." In Donnies world, this is the 28 days to the end of the world.

Next you have WATER
and METAL. The book states:

"Water is the barrier element for the construction of Time Portals used as gateways between Universes at the Tangent Vortex.

Metal is the transitional element for the construction of Artifact Vessels."

Okay, so that is why the bunny appears in what appears to be a water vortex/barrier element. Metal is the artifact that traveled through the time portal.

Next is the meaning of the engine falling into Donnie's room. Also from the book: "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 occured."

The engine is the sign that the tangent universe began. It is a metal artifact. Book says, "their appearance on Earth seems to defy logical explanation."

Next is the receiver...which is DONNIE. The book says all of the following: "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 Fourth Dimensional Powers. These include increased strength, telekinesis, mind control, and the ability to conjure fire and water."

Donnie floods the school and burns down a house...conjuring fire and water. Heh heh...following so far?

Book goes on to say, "The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe."

And what about the Bunny Rabbit Frank?
Is he God?
The book says:

"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."
So Frank the rabbit is the manipulated dead,0 he died within the fourth dimension and has contacted Donnie to make things right.

Lastly, is Donnie the first person to die or commit suicide for the good of his people? Nope. The book finishes with this:

"Ancient myth tells us 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 the sword he had not yet built.

We are told that these things occur for a reason."

[Nirvlime]

You know, this use to be my favorite movies when I was younger. As I've gotten older it has kinda lost its magic for me. It's still real good though. Excuse me if I get anything mixed up, my other favorite movie at the time was Imaginary Heroes. They're very different movies but they both center around a teenage boy and his well-off family.

Anyways, what I liked most about it was the dialogue within the family. It's a pretty realistic example of how a family with relatively intelligent children and chilled parents interacts. Reminded me a lot of my immediate family at times.

As for the whole time travel aspect I thought it was pretty neat. The 'worm holes' (right?) make sense in a way - depending on your view on whether you have a predetermined path or not. I personally believe that everything happens for a reason and your actions at one point ultimately decides your actions at another point. Now, whether or not that means we could actually travel through these worm holes I'm not so sure. I really need to watch the movie again because my memory is quite fuzzy on the whole time travel thing.

Did anyone notice that Seth Rogen is in there? lol