Donnie Darko Essay

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Confronting Predeterminism in Donnie Darko. Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly, takes a plunge into many philosophical concepts and how to confront them. The true meaning of this movie is very up to debate, but after watching this movie numerous times previously, I have a decent idea of what it is about. I think the main theme and meaning of the movie is confronting things out of our control. The movie does this by introducing predeterminism and the fate of Donnie Darko. This predeterminism is illustrated through its cinematic time, camera work, mise-en-scene, and lighting. Richard Kelly handles cinematic time by going about the movie in a linear and chronological fashion. There are multiple establishing title cards that distinguish the point of time scenes take place in. These …show more content…

The existence of these “spears” shows that all of Donnie’s actions are predetermined. Reflecting upon this predeterminism, Donnie has to face the reality of having no free will. Furthermore, Donnie wears a skeleton costume at the ending of the film, referencing his death to come. Ultimately, although Donnie’s fate has been determined since the beginning of the film, Donnie Darko seems to take the stance that one’s experience and understanding of life is where meaning and comfort is found, regardless of its outcome. During Donnie Darko’s interactions with Frank, the lighting is often low-key and dark. This indicates Donnie Darko’s internal conflict and the seemingly inevitable end of his life. The lighting also paints Frank as a mysterious and somewhat intimidating figure, similar to how Donnie seems to interpret Frank, not someone to be afraid of, but to view with intrigue. Another example of lighting is in one of the final scenes with Donnie in it. Donnie laughs hysterically in his bed while a lamp illuminates one side of his face. This hard light emphasizes the shadow on the right side of his

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