Donnie Darko is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and produced by Flower Films. The film follows Donnie Darko, an emotionally troubled teenager who inadvertently escapes a bizarre accident by sleepwalking. The story is set in October 1988. Key themes and symbols in the film include:
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Time Travel: The film involves time travel and alternate universes, with Donnie being able to see into the future and interact with people from different timelines.
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Religious Symbols: The story uses lots of religious symbols and often points to the idea that you follow Gods channel to decide your own fate.
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The Rabbit: Donnie is visited by a six-foot-tall rabbit named Frank, who tells him to commit acts of vandalism and violence.
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The End of the World: The film centers around the idea that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
The film's ending is open to interpretation and has been the subject of much discussion and analysis. In the final scene, Donnie wakes up in his bedroom, recognizes the date is October 2, and laughs as a jet engine falls into his bedroom, crushing him. Around town, those whose lives Donnie would have touched wake up from troubled dreams. Gretchen rides by the Darko home the next morning and learns of Donnie's death. The film's director, Richard Kelly, has described the events in the film as a story of divine and supernatural intervention, where a select group of characters happen to be living in the proximity of a science fiction event.
