Donnie didn't have to die

[Darko boy]

i've watched the movie twice. after reading all of your theories etc i still feel that i'm unable to give an opinion as it's still head wrecking. however i've watched the directors voice over and at the end he says that you can hear frank dropping off elizabeth and he beeps his horn calling for donnie. to me this says donnie was being told that he was successful in closing the tangent universe and he had the chance to escape.

[greedy]

why didn't donnie rob frank perhaps frank dropped the engine on donnie for revenge

[BeenaBobba]

Hi all,

I've read that when the Living Receiver returns back to the "real world" after successfully returning the artifact back as well, they sometimes forget about their life in the tangent universe. It's said that they have a sort of deja vu type of feeling. That would explain Donnie laughing before he died; ever the skeptic, he was probably struck by the absurdity of his thoughts. Before he sent the jet engine back into the portal, he probably did have an idea that he *could* (though not necessarily die) in the end. The fact that he knew this but chose to save the world anyway made his sacrifice all the more touching.

The deju vu theory is very probably. Watch the last scene with Gretchen and Rose Darko. They had never met in the "real world," yet they look at each other as if they find each other vaguely familiar - yet they can't seem to put their fingers on it.

Take care,

Jen

[BeenaBobba]

*probable* Sorry, typo.

[pilotpickles]

Hi everyone! I thought Donnie was laughing as he lay in bed because he realized that only by dying and escaping the materialistic world he could not stand was how he would find peace. I'd love to hear other points of view.

[matt]

i agree with beenabobba, it is donnie awaking from a dream like state, sub-consiuously remembering the 28 days in the tangent universe. He is laughing because he knows sub-consiously he was successful in closing the tangent universe.