frank ?'s

[bloodandroses]

What I don't get about frank is that he dies at the end (before they go back to when it all started). So if he got shot (tangent universe or not), where exactly is he time traveling from to talk to Donnie throughout the movie? Some sort of afterlife? Because it can't be that he never really got shot (except in the "tangent universe") and is merely trying to prevent something that *could* happen should things play out that way. "Timetraveling frank" has his eye shot out, so he must have been shot at some point, which could mean that Donnie did shoot him and he did die, but in that case, where (when he traveled back in time) was he coming from? Also, why is "timetraveling frank" the same age a regular frank? Is there any significance to the bunny costume? Is there any significance to the line where he says Frank was the name "of my father, and my father's father"? sorry if my thoughts are a bit scattered.

[darkos_light]

Actually, if you read the Philosophy of Time Travel, you know that Frank is one of the Manipulated Dead, which means he did die, but was given special powers to time travel back to the Living Receiver (Donnie) to guide him to do whatever he needs to do (save the world).
So yes, the messed up eyeball Donnie sees in the movie theater is from the future when he later shoots and kills Frank.
The bunny costume is Frank's halloween costume the night he dies, and therefore he wears the clothes of the night he dies as he travels back in time.
(http://www.ruinedeye.com/cd/index.htm - the site for POTT book, if you can't see it at donniedarko.com; click on "dd reading" when you click that link).

Timetraveling Frank is the same age, because everything about Frank from his clothes to his age of the night he died, remains the same. He is not aging or changing, since he is a Manupulated Dead.

I'm gonna go watch the commentary dvd on that part where Frank talks about his father, etc. because they said something about that, but I forgot.


emily

[bloodandroses]

thanks. i understand it alot better now (frank being the same age and all). So you are saying that right after Frank gets shot by Donnie, he goes back in time to give Donnie the choice to save the world? Who ( or what) facilitates this? Why is Frank chosen to go back? Gretchen dies too, so why not her? And about the significance of the bunny suit- I knew he was wearing it when he died, but i meant more a metaphorical signifcance, lke why was it a *bunny* suit out of everything they could have chosen?

[Teilhard de Chardin]

To answer the bunny suit debate, there are two reasons for the rabbit suit decision:

1. in reference to the rabbits in "Watership down", deleted scenes show donnies english class studying the novel in lessons, and illustrate the despare and intellegence of the animals, living in a world of apathy, destruction and fear.There is a lot more to be said about the rabbits but thats for another post lol.

2. a possible reference to the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, there are many significant parallels to this novel also, discussed again in other posts.

[reignman]

bloodandroses said:

thanks. i understand it alot better now (frank being the same age and all). So you are saying that right after Frank gets shot by Donnie, he goes back in time to give Donnie the choice to save the world? Who ( or what) facilitates this? Why is Frank chosen to go back? Gretchen dies too, so why not her? And about the significance of the bunny suit- I knew he was wearing it when he died, but i meant more a metaphorical signifcance, lke why was it a *bunny* suit out of everything they could have chosen?

Donnie didn't know Frank, so it would've been weird if she got sent back. As for the bunny suit, I think that's just supposed to make you wonder about what the heck a time traveling bunny is doing in a movie.

[elegantgypsy]

Frank had a bunny costume simply because it was halloween when he got shot.I don't think there was any particular significance to it being a bunny except that the mask was kind of creepy,just like you would want when you design a halloween costume! In the final shot we see Frank designing the bunny outfit on a drawing board ready for halloween and the mask on the chair. His friend in the car was dressed as a clown,also for halloween.They were nothing mre than two kids out for the night. The only reason that frank is significant with his bunny outfit is because donnie edventually shoots him in the eye.

[Rachel]

how does donnie save the world?

[reignman]

That is a question that has been discused many times before.

My interpretation is that either A), he used his "powers" after the tangent universe engine went through the portal and before the tangent universe ended, or B) the reason the portal was created was a direct end result of Gretchen dieing, and after Donnie died, Gretchen wouldn't die, therefore, the wormhole would not exist anymore, and the universe was saved (POTT says the womrhole can destroy the universe if it exists for too long). I think it's B because I think God made the wormhole so Donnie would die to save Gretchen and Frank and so he could lose his fear of dieing because he'd know God exists (because of the very strange dream he had. he even says he believes there will be "so much to look forward to" in the letter). POTT also says the only logical explanation for the appearance of a wormhole is "divine intervention."

[Drivinmecrazy]

reignman said:

Donnie didn't know Frank, so it would've been weird if she got sent back. As for the bunny suit, I think that's just supposed to make you wonder about what the heck a time traveling bunny is doing in a movie.

Donnie Didn't know Gretchen either!!!! not untill they met in the other universe

[reignman]

therefore, Donnie was supposed to have a relationship w/ Gretchen for a reason. If he saw her dead, id be weird to hang out with the live one.