They then arrest Cunningham. | Yet disturbing undercurrents are gathering. But it was fun trying to land it. Religion is often questioned by Donnie, as he tries to make sense of his world. When they get there, they are assaulted by the high school's resident bullies (Alex Greenwald and Seth Rogen). Then, an aeroplane engine crashes into his bedroom while the rabbit is proclaiming the end of the world. The tickets sold out within the day for the Seattle International Film Festival premiere, grossing nearly $33,000 over a five-day period. Donnie is aware of what he must do now so he drives up the mountain for a better vantage point. Dr. Thurman increases Donnie's medication and begins hypnotherapy with him. The film follows the adventures of the troubled titular character as he seeks to find the meaning behind his doomsday-related visions. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank’s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum. [2], It almost went straight to home video, but was theatrically released by Drew Barrymore's production company, Flower Films. The plane with the same jet engine has been manipulated to fly overhead at this exact time. The jet engine drops again, with Donnie in the bedroom. Frank asks Donnie, who in turn asks his science teacher, Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff, if he believes in time travel. Kitty arranges for Cunningham to speak at a school assembly, where Donnie insults him. Most additional features are exclusive to the two-DVD set: the director's commentary assisted by Kevin Smith,[25] excerpts from the storyboard, a 52-minute production diary, "#1 fan video", a "cult following" video interviewing English fans, and the new director's cut trailer. Donnie Darko doesn't get along too well with his family, his teachers, and his classmates; but he does manage to find a sympathetic friend in Gretchen, who agrees to date him. But somehow the control fades in the closing scenes, and our hands, which have been so full, close on emptiness. The bunny, called Frank, tells him that the world will end in twenty-eight days. The next few pages are dedicated to photographs and concept sketches from the movie including early sketches of Frank's mask and slides from Jim Cunningham's school presentation. His mom goes off to smoke next to a tree. Title: Soon, Donnie sees tubes of fluid light extending out of his family's chests, indicating where they will go. [17], In the re-released director's cut, the music in the opening sequence is replaced by "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS; "Under the Milky Way" is moved to the scene of Donnie and Eddie driving home from Donnie's meeting with his therapist; and "The Killing Moon" is played as Gretchen and Donnie return to the party from Donnie's parents' room. Donnie shoots him in the eye with his father's gun, and walks home carrying Gretchen's body. One night at dinner, Donnie and his sister get into a profane argument during which Elizabeth reveals she knows Donnie is no longer taking his medication. Guilty, Donnie resumes taking his medication. His mother (Mary McDonnell) is sensible and cheerful, and his father (Holmes Osborne) is imperturbable. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. This release includes both the Director's and Theatrical cuts and was accompanied by a Dual format Blu-ray and DVD release. At home, when watching football, Donnie observes a James Cameron’s The Abyss like liquid stream coming out of the chest of people around him; leading them around. "It almost went directly to the Starz network. Donnie's nocturnal rabbit-wizard informs him the end of the world is near. Throughout the film, viewers and characters both have an eerie sense of impending doom. This set-up and development is fascinating, the payoff less so. A portal opens, revealing Jim Cunningham's house. Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut was released on May 29, 2004, in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle International Film Festival, and later in New York City and Los Angeles, on July 23, 2004. Donnie wakes up in his bedroom, recognizes the date is October 2, and laughs as the jet engine falls into his bedroom, crushing him. The rest has to be seen for yourself. His other companion may not be a true ally. [4] It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2001, before receiving a limited theatrical release on October 26, 2001, by Flower Films. Seeking answers, Donnie investigates time travel in an attempt to turn back the clock and prevent the world's seemingly impending doom, actions which pose bizarre and life-changing results. Why? Ms. Pomeroy (Drew Barrymore) appreciates his intellect and ability to engage with and understand the difficult material she assigns them to read in English class. The use of dark colors subconsciously induces a negative emotion into viewers. Donnie speaks about time travel with Mr. Monnitoff who gives him a book, The Philosophy of Time Travel written by Roberta Sparrow. Donnie returns home as a vortex forms over his house. In one shot the camera lingers on a group shot with a *much* younger Roberta Sparrow shown. Use the HTML below. Retrieved from http://archive.hi-res.net/donniedarko/, The Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD release arrived on December 12th, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, "50 Greatest Independent Films of All Time", "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time", "Exclusive Interview with Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly", "25 Things You May Not Know About 'Donnie Darko, "The behind-the-scenes story of Donnie Darko's creepy bunny suit", "Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut: The Strange Afterlife of an Indie Cult Film", "Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly: 'Sometimes films need time to marinate, "Everything you were afraid to ask about "Donnie Darko, "Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut - CINEMABLEND", "Blu-ray Review: 'Donnie Darko: 2 Disc Ultimate Edition' (rerelease)", "PARK CITY 2001 REVIEW: Donnie Darko Plays with the Time of Our Lives", "C4 relaunches Film4 with '50 films to see before you die' countdown", "Arcade Fire Open Box: Richard Kelly on film score and Darko sequel", "Mainstream Darko: Director Richard Kelly on Building His Own Sandbox", "Richard Kelly talks reissuing Donnie Darko and his plans for a "much bigger and more ambitious" sequel", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donnie_Darko&oldid=986144650, Articles with failed verification from March 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2018, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. "[35][failed verification] Writing for ABC Australia, Megan Spencer called the movie "menacing, dreamy, [and] exciting" and noted "it could take you to a deeply emotional place lying dormant in your soul". Plus, see what some of your favorite '90s stars look like now. His parents, Rose and Eddie (Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osborne) and his sisters, Elizabeth and Samantha (Maggie Gyllenhall and Daveigh Chase), worry about him. For example, no airline is reporting that an engine is missing from one of its jets. [12] Frank, the giant rabbit, was inspired by the novel Watership Down, which was to be taught in English class after the school had censored Graham Greene, a plot point that was abandoned in the final version. To aid in this task, the Living Receiver is given super-human abilities such as foresight, physical strength and elemental powers, but at the cost of troubling visions and paranoia, while the Manipulated Living (all who live around the Receiver) support him in unnatural ways, setting up a domino-like chain of events encouraging him to return the Artifact. [44] In a 2017 interview, Kelly said that he resents being asked about the sequel and that he'd never seen the film. Directed by Richard Kelly. Monnitoff gives Donnie The Philosophy of Time Travel, a book written by Roberta Sparrow, a former science teacher at the school who is now a seemingly senile old woman living outside of town. With Rose and little sister Samantha in Los Angeles, and Eddie away for business, Donnie and Elizabeth hold a Halloween costume party to celebrate Elizabeth's acceptance to Harvard.