Donnie Darko !

Donnie Darko.

For the past 3 lessons we have been watching the film 'Donnie Darko'. Which was filmed in 2001. This film is designed to be a Thriller/physiological movie but after watching it for myself again i am wondering could this film be a Sci-fi movie too. Because i have watched this movie before i know what happens, but there were still parts in the movie which i did not get. And watching it with the class helped my understand what really happens to Donnie.

When we first played the movie i noticed the music sung by 'Echo and Bunnymen' at the beginning was very spooky and mysterious, like something was going to happen which you would not normally exspect. We first hear this music when Donnie is riding his bike home after waking up somewhere he doe not recognise. Because the song is quite moving it is like you are moving with the music, just like Donnie is moving when riding his bike. When the opening credits are being placed there is a thunderstorm, a black cloud placed over them, this connotes the darkness of the film. Because the song was sung in the 80's this links to the film being placed in a different time to ours.

When we look at the different camera shots we can see that it contains a lot of snap shots, and the camera shots do not flow together. It begins with a pan shot which is looking at the scenery and the lighting, this could once again be linked to the darkness and mystery of the film. This makes people begin to ask questions about the film already.

The way Donnie talks is unusual, with a low echo sounds suggests that he is empty inside and that he is all alone. The fact that he is empty might be from the lack of love he recieves or the lack of love he gives, this suggests that he is a boy who just wants someone to care for. I get the sense that he is alone with the echo of his voice, this could suggest that no one wants to talk to him or hang around with him. The way he smiles make us feel unsteady, like it is hitting a nerve deep down inside us. This links to the strange side of the film which makes people think is he more troubled then they originally thought.

When biking down the hill on his bike Donnie is in the middle of the screen, this suggests that his is the main character and that he is the person we should be watching, justwaiting to see what happeneds to him next. Also because where he is in the beginning, lying in the middle of the road. We wonder what could have happened to him to make him end up there.

Another reason why this film is so well known is because of its unusual and strange events which take place during the film. When looking at Donnie's eyes we can see that there is something which he is feeling inside but is to ashamed to tell anyone, this might be because he is afraid or just simply because he hasn't got anyone to talk too. This links back to the theory of him feeling alone and abandoned by his friends and even his family. Another reason why the films is well known is because of the strange events which happen, this includes the giant bunny who Donnie refers to as 'Frank.' The bunny i think is meant to shock people because you would not normally see a bunny trying to end the world. But you also feel sorry for him because as the story goes on you see that Donnie and the bunny are linked together. This makes people more unsure about what the film is all about. 

The fact that the film contains some comedy in, shows the audience that this film was not just designed to make you confused but it is designed to get you thinking. When looking at Donnie you see that he is quite self-absorbed, he doesn't want to really talk to people. But when you here him talk and he makes little jokes this shows us that Donnie is just like any other person, that he does have a personality. 

When looking at Donnie's smile we feel scared and also a little bit disturbed, this is because when he smiles it makes us feel like there is something that is about to happen. Something that you wouldn't exspect to happen. His eyes also make us worried and scared because when he looks at the camera it seems like he is looking at you and no one else. They also don't seem to move like there is no life inside his body, it also could be linked to the conclusion that he is on medication (which he is) and that his medication is changing him inside. 

Symbolism is something which can be linked to something else, this could create an affect and help people to use their imaginations. An example of this technique could be the cirlce coming from Donnie's chest on the front cover. In these scenes we come to understand that he is the living reciever and the water tunnel is giuding him to where he is meant to go.This could be symbolised as Donnie's pain and suffering, something that he can never escape from. How we feel that this is linked is because the shape of the water tunnel is a cricle and the circle has no ending.