They Made Me Do IT... The Donnie Darko discussion thread- might be spoilers

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

id like to hear your theory on the movie....

That's a little general. How bout a more specific question.

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by Josh

That's a little general. How bout a more specific question.

oh, i thought thats what you meant. ok, ive watched the movie a zillion times and it always leaves me thinking differently toward it. let me think, but one i know ive always been curious about is, what is the purpose of the Cherita Chen? And what about the Dudes who are following Donnie throughout the movie?

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

oh, i thought thats what you meant. ok, ive watched the movie a zillion times and it always leaves me thinking differently toward it. let me think, but one i know ive always been curious about is, what is the purpose of the Cherita Chen? And what about the Dudes who are following Donnie throughout the movie?

Cherita Chen:

[Show spoiler]Its really only explained in the original script. Prior to the "Cellar Door" conversation, Ms. Pomeroy tells Donnie (not in the film) "It is up to the children to save themselves these days. Because the parents... they don't have a clue." Immediately after this scene is the one where Donnie grabs Charita and tells her "I promise that one day things will get better for you." He is essentially accepting his role as the Living Receiver and he is going to "save" her (and everyone else) from the impending doom that is coming.

Man in the Jogging Suit:

[Show spoiler]This person is essentially following Donnie because the FAA has no idea where the engine came from, and he is their only lead due to his direct involvement. Also, the "Philosophy of Time Travel" says that those who have contact with the Living Receiver (known as Manipulated Living) will "fear him and try to destroy him". So it is likely that the FAA had fear that Donnie knew more than he was sharing. I wouldn't go so far as to say they would destroy him, but they definitely were afraid.

[Pelican170]

Good stuff, Thanks. Lets see, what else... ok, maybe this is a stupid question, but is he really traveling back in time or is there an alternate universe, or are they one and the same? I mean, its a little confusing to think of the engine falling from another world, ya know. Am I making sense? And at the end, he rides his bike to where the begining of the movie takes place and he is starring at the swirling clouds. How does that work? is he about to travel, or waiting or what? Or is it made like that to keep the audience thinking and guessing?

[Pelican170]

Hope that made sense. It's been a little while since ive watched it since i was waiting to buy it on blu. It just seems that everytime i watch it i have different thoughts about the movie, which is why i love it so much...

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

Good stuff, Thanks. Lets see, what else... ok, maybe this is a stupid question, but is he really traveling back in time or is there an alternate universe, or are they one and the same? I mean, its a little confusing to think of the engine falling from another world, ya know. Am I making sense? And at the end, he rides his bike to where the begining of the movie takes place and he is starring at the swirling clouds. How does that work? is he about to travel, or waiting or what? Or is it made like that to keep the audience thinking and guessing?

Tangent Universe

[Show spoiler]When the clock strikes midnight, a Tangent Universe intersects with Primary Universe, causing a Tangent Vortex. This is signed by, amongst other things, the existence of a Artifact (the jet engine) and the unexplained things happening to Donnie, such as his hallucination of Frank and his increased strength (drove the axe into the solid bronze statue), both affects of being in a Tangent Universe - according to the book. When the two universes meet, they form a Tangent Vortex. This Vortex occurs again when Tangent Universe collapses (28 days, 6 hours, ...) and the two Universes are whole again. That is what Donnie sees in the sky.

A Tangent Vortex can house a Time Portal, by which you can travel through time. Basically, the second vortex ripped the engine off the airplane which then got sucked into a Time Portal. This time portal connected to the first vortex and brought the engine back in time. Donnie's Journey (as the book puts it) is to bring the Artifact (aircraft engine) back to the Primary Universe to prevent the world from ending. At this point, its really not explained how he does that, but yes, he brings the engine back to the second vortex (which is actually forward in time), thus completing his Journey and saving the world.

[Pelican170]

wow good info. Thanks. Can i ask where your getting all this stuff from or are you typing it yourself?

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Pelican170

wow good info. Thanks. Can i ask where your getting all this stuff from or are you typing it yourself?

I'm typing myself, but the source comes from the Philosophy of Time Travel book that is available on the Donnie Darko website and reference in the film. There isn't more than a few pages of single line notes, but it really explains what is going on. Its extremely general, so you have to link what is written to what we know from the film in order to make a conclusion.

[Pelican170]

Ok, ill ask one more. This one took a while to pick up on, but im pretty sure that the male teacher and Drew Berrymore both seem to know something is up with Donnie. When they are in bed together, they look at each other and go, "boy that Donnie Darko" or something along those lines. Obviously Drew Berrymore's character in the movie is quite strange in the first place. is there any connection to them knowing whats going on? or that donnie is the chosen one? or anything?