Post by Teilhard de Chardin on Jun 30, 2004 18:57:40 GMT -5
Just a quick summary of some of the major roles, for people in need of some clarrification!
Donnie Darko; obviously much can be said about donnie who represents the 'living receiver' who is guided through the tangent universe by Frank. He gains 4th dimensional powers within this universe giving him the ability to control elements such as time, metal and water etc, it should be pointed out that water also acts as the pathway between the two universes, and metal the artefact which time follows. He initially strays from his chosen destiny/Gods path when Frank summons him to the golf course and thus begins the 28 day countdown.Within this time Donnie is lead through the tangent universe by the manipulated dead and is subject to some remarkable discoveries that will eventually climax in the death of the manipulated Frank, Gretchen, Rose Darko, Sam Darko, and eventually himself when he sacrifices his life back in the primary universe.
Roberta Sparrow; many have speculated to her true role in the movie, a former nun who wanders back and forth to her mailbox is much more complex than we think. She left the church back in the fifties and wrote 'the philosophy of time travel', some say she experienced devine intervention and was ordered by God (supposedly) to write a book on time travel, and that she was to expect a letter in her mailbox in the future. Her role was to advise donnie on all of this and send him back to the primary universe and to follow Gods path, his chosen destiny. She could therefore never die and was constantly waiting for the letter form Donnie (hence the ironic name Grandma Death - notice how despite her roadside antics she has never been hit).
Cherita Chen; the Autumn Angel. Cherita 'socializes' with people in a society that is still generally racist, people mock her because shes different. The ear muffs are a physical and metaphorical barrier between her and the insults she is subject to; they physically block out the negative comments and also serve as a barrier between her and the pessimistic society. Donnie is a humane non-discriminative person who defends Cherita on several occasions, he says things that completely oppose all the insults she hears, and consequently she falls for him and respects/loves all that he represents (she draws his name on her book with hearts etc). At one point, he puts on her ear muffs and samples life from her point of view, he understands her more than most and recognises her angelic persona ("Autumn Angel"). Cherita Chen IS the Autumn Angel and very few people (in the movie) realise this. She has a rare and pure spirit that is without prejudice, lacking the fickle moral standards held by the majority these days. Donnie recognises her in this light, defends her from the racism of others and eventually gives her some sense of hope in that "one day, everything will be better for you". Unfortunately in the hallway Cherita is still wearing her protective earmuffs and mistakes his words for insults, hence the "Chut Up!" and sudden departure. However, in the end when each character 'deja vu's' in their dreams, Cherita realises what Donnie said to her, and consequently, for once in her life, she is happy and positive about the future,in that one day, "things will be better..."
Kitty Farmer; a troubled spirit desperatly seeking a simple answer to lifes problems, she turns to the contraversial ethic of Jim Cunningham and attempts to turn her life around and not become 'a victim of fear'. However, it is clear that things just arnt that simple, life is random,chaotic and unpredictable, Jims words are utter cr*p and hold no truth whatsoever. Kittys world is full of superficial ideas and beliefs, take her daughter and Sparkle Motion, on one level an innocent if what cliche of American society, but more seriously the possible catalyst and basis for the exploitation of children in a world of consumerism, the promotion of the 'beauty myth', and devaluing of the arts.Kitty breaks down in the dream/montage sequence, her world falls apart when she realises how neive and narrow-minded she has become in a society motivated by lunatics like Jim Cunningham.
Karen Pomeroy: Donnies english teacher, Karen represents a generation above Donnies not as narrowminded as Kitty and the like. She and Dr Monitoff have similar ideas when it comes to the world around them and understand the value of education in a society driving themselves to simplicity/idiocy where apathy reigns among the masses, "they are slipping away". Karen is also a manipulated living, guiding donnie to his fateful end, 'cellar door' is the phrase she introduces to donnie to guide him to Robertas near the end of the movie. We are all searching for our 'cellar door', something better...
Gretchen Ross: she comes to Middlesex with her mother, apparently escaping a father "who has emotional problems". She plays Donnies love interest in the movie and is included as one of the manipulated dead, on a path leading Donnie to the mountain top after 28 days. Despite her mother being mentioned several times, we never get to actually see her, a decision made by Richard Kelly, who is the only one who could answer why this was done. In one of the deleted scenes Gretchen explains the relationship between the rabbits in Watership Down and the rest of humanity, a wake up call for Donnie when he realises social injustice in metaphoric terms, just another example of the manipulated putting Donnie on a 'journey of enlightenment'.
Frank: another manipulated dead, Frank (Donnie's sisters boyfriend) spends most of the film in his halloween outfit, speaking telepathically to Donnie and giving leading instructions. He tells him to get out of bed, flood the school, set light to Cunninghams house etc, all of which contribute to the sequence of events which will eventually lead to Donnie essentially sacrificing his life for several others including Rose, Gretchen, Frank and Samantha Darko, who were all killed in the tangent universe. Many have speculated as to whether Frank actually embodies God, who creates this alternative universe to illustrate to Donnie (who is lacking religous ethics) that God does exist and eventually gives him a chance to sacrifice himself for the good of others and in addition, expose Jim Cunningham, the social deviant. Frank also serves as the deus ex machina, in resolving the films paradox, he links together the presence of manipulated-dead Frank and his relationship to Donnie.
Jim Cunningham: one of the most interesting characters and highly controversial, Cunningham believes that people in Middlesex are becoming "victims of fear" and that the only way to escape a life of crime and injustice is to follow a righteous path of love. He is a motivational speaker who arrives at the school (much to the admiration of his adoring fan Kitty Farmer, and much to the disgust of Karen Pomeroy) to force the kids into his narrowminded ethic. His ideas are far too idealised, and Donnie, Karen and Gretchen are not fooled by his ridiculous methods, Karen is fired for not conforming to Principal Coles regime of simplicity.
However, could Jim Cunningham - JC - be an embodiment of Jesus Christ? Is he working with Frank (God) and Cherita (Autumn Angel) in guiding Donnie through a path of religious enlightenment? The tangent universe could therefore have been created by God , who imposed himself as Frank, moments before Donnies death, sending Jim and Cherita into the mix to illustrate to Donnie the significance of self-sacrificing, and how his decision to stay in bed would be beneficial and the ultimate act of salvation for humanity.
uk.msnusers.com/LookCloser
Donnie Darko; obviously much can be said about donnie who represents the 'living receiver' who is guided through the tangent universe by Frank. He gains 4th dimensional powers within this universe giving him the ability to control elements such as time, metal and water etc, it should be pointed out that water also acts as the pathway between the two universes, and metal the artefact which time follows. He initially strays from his chosen destiny/Gods path when Frank summons him to the golf course and thus begins the 28 day countdown.Within this time Donnie is lead through the tangent universe by the manipulated dead and is subject to some remarkable discoveries that will eventually climax in the death of the manipulated Frank, Gretchen, Rose Darko, Sam Darko, and eventually himself when he sacrifices his life back in the primary universe.
Roberta Sparrow; many have speculated to her true role in the movie, a former nun who wanders back and forth to her mailbox is much more complex than we think. She left the church back in the fifties and wrote 'the philosophy of time travel', some say she experienced devine intervention and was ordered by God (supposedly) to write a book on time travel, and that she was to expect a letter in her mailbox in the future. Her role was to advise donnie on all of this and send him back to the primary universe and to follow Gods path, his chosen destiny. She could therefore never die and was constantly waiting for the letter form Donnie (hence the ironic name Grandma Death - notice how despite her roadside antics she has never been hit).
Cherita Chen; the Autumn Angel. Cherita 'socializes' with people in a society that is still generally racist, people mock her because shes different. The ear muffs are a physical and metaphorical barrier between her and the insults she is subject to; they physically block out the negative comments and also serve as a barrier between her and the pessimistic society. Donnie is a humane non-discriminative person who defends Cherita on several occasions, he says things that completely oppose all the insults she hears, and consequently she falls for him and respects/loves all that he represents (she draws his name on her book with hearts etc). At one point, he puts on her ear muffs and samples life from her point of view, he understands her more than most and recognises her angelic persona ("Autumn Angel"). Cherita Chen IS the Autumn Angel and very few people (in the movie) realise this. She has a rare and pure spirit that is without prejudice, lacking the fickle moral standards held by the majority these days. Donnie recognises her in this light, defends her from the racism of others and eventually gives her some sense of hope in that "one day, everything will be better for you". Unfortunately in the hallway Cherita is still wearing her protective earmuffs and mistakes his words for insults, hence the "Chut Up!" and sudden departure. However, in the end when each character 'deja vu's' in their dreams, Cherita realises what Donnie said to her, and consequently, for once in her life, she is happy and positive about the future,in that one day, "things will be better..."
Kitty Farmer; a troubled spirit desperatly seeking a simple answer to lifes problems, she turns to the contraversial ethic of Jim Cunningham and attempts to turn her life around and not become 'a victim of fear'. However, it is clear that things just arnt that simple, life is random,chaotic and unpredictable, Jims words are utter cr*p and hold no truth whatsoever. Kittys world is full of superficial ideas and beliefs, take her daughter and Sparkle Motion, on one level an innocent if what cliche of American society, but more seriously the possible catalyst and basis for the exploitation of children in a world of consumerism, the promotion of the 'beauty myth', and devaluing of the arts.Kitty breaks down in the dream/montage sequence, her world falls apart when she realises how neive and narrow-minded she has become in a society motivated by lunatics like Jim Cunningham.
Karen Pomeroy: Donnies english teacher, Karen represents a generation above Donnies not as narrowminded as Kitty and the like. She and Dr Monitoff have similar ideas when it comes to the world around them and understand the value of education in a society driving themselves to simplicity/idiocy where apathy reigns among the masses, "they are slipping away". Karen is also a manipulated living, guiding donnie to his fateful end, 'cellar door' is the phrase she introduces to donnie to guide him to Robertas near the end of the movie. We are all searching for our 'cellar door', something better...
Gretchen Ross: she comes to Middlesex with her mother, apparently escaping a father "who has emotional problems". She plays Donnies love interest in the movie and is included as one of the manipulated dead, on a path leading Donnie to the mountain top after 28 days. Despite her mother being mentioned several times, we never get to actually see her, a decision made by Richard Kelly, who is the only one who could answer why this was done. In one of the deleted scenes Gretchen explains the relationship between the rabbits in Watership Down and the rest of humanity, a wake up call for Donnie when he realises social injustice in metaphoric terms, just another example of the manipulated putting Donnie on a 'journey of enlightenment'.
Frank: another manipulated dead, Frank (Donnie's sisters boyfriend) spends most of the film in his halloween outfit, speaking telepathically to Donnie and giving leading instructions. He tells him to get out of bed, flood the school, set light to Cunninghams house etc, all of which contribute to the sequence of events which will eventually lead to Donnie essentially sacrificing his life for several others including Rose, Gretchen, Frank and Samantha Darko, who were all killed in the tangent universe. Many have speculated as to whether Frank actually embodies God, who creates this alternative universe to illustrate to Donnie (who is lacking religous ethics) that God does exist and eventually gives him a chance to sacrifice himself for the good of others and in addition, expose Jim Cunningham, the social deviant. Frank also serves as the deus ex machina, in resolving the films paradox, he links together the presence of manipulated-dead Frank and his relationship to Donnie.
Jim Cunningham: one of the most interesting characters and highly controversial, Cunningham believes that people in Middlesex are becoming "victims of fear" and that the only way to escape a life of crime and injustice is to follow a righteous path of love. He is a motivational speaker who arrives at the school (much to the admiration of his adoring fan Kitty Farmer, and much to the disgust of Karen Pomeroy) to force the kids into his narrowminded ethic. His ideas are far too idealised, and Donnie, Karen and Gretchen are not fooled by his ridiculous methods, Karen is fired for not conforming to Principal Coles regime of simplicity.
However, could Jim Cunningham - JC - be an embodiment of Jesus Christ? Is he working with Frank (God) and Cherita (Autumn Angel) in guiding Donnie through a path of religious enlightenment? The tangent universe could therefore have been created by God , who imposed himself as Frank, moments before Donnies death, sending Jim and Cherita into the mix to illustrate to Donnie the significance of self-sacrificing, and how his decision to stay in bed would be beneficial and the ultimate act of salvation for humanity.
uk.msnusers.com/LookCloser
