Donnie Darko Psychology

1214 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Film theory realism

“...What if you could go back in time and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better?...” -Gretchen Ross (Donnie Darko)
Donnie Darko was the first feature film from writer and director Richard Kelly, the psychological thriller was originally a box office flop, but over time it has developed an esoteric charm and a massive cult following. The original release of the film also happens to be a personal favourite of mine.

Our story centres around Donnie Darko a troubled teen previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and a history of violence who at 12 o’clock Sunday the 2nd of October 1988 is awoken by a mysterious voice following the voice he is confronted by an otherworldly 6 foot tall bunny rabbit named …show more content…

Kelly needed Donnie to be convincing as a troubled teen with psychological problems. Enter Jake Gyllenhaal whose only film experience was 1999s “october sky” (-another good but severely underrated film). In Jake Gyllenhaal Kelly finds an actor that is able to portray our sleepy eyed mentally unstable protagonist. Gyllenhaal relays an intriguing kind of disturbed, he is more curious of the events than frightened by them and creates the intimidating charisma and confidence of someone wise beyond their years and sets the perfect tone as the protagonist of this film. On the other hand Jena Malone's performance was unsatisfactory. Jena Malone plays the character Gretchen Ross the new girl in town who soon becomes Donnie’s love interest Gretchen ross’s portrayal was disappointing on so many levels. Outside of the obvious kissing and spending time together it was hard to tell whether or not Gretchen truly cared for Donnie. Malone seemed so wooden and bland it was really hard for me to develop any sort of positive feelings toward her character as she is not particularly likable her performance could be compared to that of cardboard chips or the colour beige it wasn’t outright bad it just wasn't extremely interesting and aside from one or two scenes she seemed completely two dimensional as a character and because of this (spoilers ahead) I found it hard to care when she was accidentally run over and killed by the real

Show More
Related

  • Visual Representation in the Movie "Donnie Darko"

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    There have been countless numbers of films produced and directed in the past decade that could be labeled as weird or bizarre, however, one of the most head-scratching and unusual films to hit the big screen in the past decade was Donnie Darko (2001), directed by Richard Kelly. The film depicts a troubled adolescent named Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), who after surviving a near death experience, finds himself at the center of numerous acts of violence and vandalism in his community, possibly due to his growing insanity. Arguably, one of the highlights of the film, if not the main highlight, occurs during Donnie’s first day back at school since his close brush with death. This dreamlike and hyper amplified school-entrance montage that Kelly takes the viewer through has a major contribution to the film in its entirety because it gives a much deeper meaning to the film in terms of the audio-visual style.

    Read More

  • Awakenings Movie Psychology

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    The movie, Awakenings, begins by showing a little boy, Leonard Lowe, playing in the park with his friends. Those same friends join Leonard as they go to school. While at school, Leonard begins to show signs that he is having difficulty writing. His teacher, looks through his notebook and notices that his writing has suddenly gotten worse. His teacher then notifies Mrs. Lowe of her findings. It is evident that Leonard’s right hand has curled to the point that he can no longer use it to write (Sacks & Zaillian, 1990).

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Donnie Darko

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    What would you do if a six-foot tall bunny rabbit named Frank came, and said that the world will end in exactly 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. In the movie Donnie Darko directed by Richard Kelly. The main protagonist Donald Darko, also known as Donnie. Is sent on a mental journey through space and time, all while trying to figure out exactly what happens at the end of the countdown. After watching this film for the first time, it left me with many unanswered questions. I felt as though this movie was one that forced you to use your own interpretation, and imagination. It made me think about otherworldly possibilities, ideas, and if the concepts of time travel were actually possible. I turned to the novel How to Read Literature

    Read More

  • Donnie Darko Fear

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film Donnie Darko focuses on promoting hard thinking. The main character, Donnie Darko, is a teenage boy who suffers from delusions and sleepwalking. He avoids his own death by help from a man in a bunny suit. Who also informs Donnie that the world will end. Fear and loneliness is shown throughout the movie and is embodied as being controlled by fear, preying on the fear of others, and fear of tragedy .

    Read More

  • Bully Movie Psychology

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bully (2001) is a movie based on a true story about a group of rebellious, yet naïve teens who conspire to exact ultimate revenge on a mutual friend. In a twist, unlike most, this movie highlights not only extent of bullying amongst peers, but details the ultimate revenge that would irrevocably change the lives of the entire group. The movie takes place in South Florida where Marty, a high school dropout, and Bobby are “alleged” best friends. As they set out to meet up with mutual friends Ali and Lisa for a double date the bully is immediately apparent as Bobby begins to verbally torment Marty, which quickly turns physical as he repeatedly punches Marty while he is driving for accidently swerving. Although, Marty stops the car and retaliates,

    Read More

  • Psycho: A Wish-Fulfillment Documentary Analysis

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    The movie Psycho was created in 1960, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This film has many meaningful moments behind it, which all lead up to a shocking yet interesting twist for an ending. Many clips corresponded well with Bill Nichols thoughts, and opinions on how “Every movie is a Documentary.” By comparing both the Nichols reading, and the film Psycho, it is easy to see that this film is a wish-fulfillment documentary. This film shows what could be a scary reality in many people’s lives. It gives us examples of what could be our deepest nightmares and dreads, influences an opinion over people who have multiple personalities, and even feeds some people’s interests.

    Read More

  • Movie Review of Donnie Darko

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Donnie Darko begins with a panoramic, morning shot of a mountain range, setting the stage for a film as wide open as the landscape. The camera pans around, focusing slowly on a distant figure, lying unconscious in the middle of a mountain road. The silence is broken only by soft, sporadic blue notes, echoing from a piano. As the camera draws closer, the figure rises, giving the audience their first glimpse of Donnie Darko. With a chuckling smirk, he picks up his bicycle and heads back home. Immediately, Kelly forces the question, “Why the hell is this kid lying in the middle of road?” This is the first question that the viewer is forced to ponder and it is definitely not the last.

    Read More

  • Cognition Movie 'Mr. Holland's Opus'

    454 Words  | 1 Pages

    For this second movie reaction, I decided to watch Mr. Holland’s Opus and find practice of cognitive theories and concepts throughout the film. The movie, starring Richard Dreyfuss is a true story about musician and composer who takes a music teaching job to pay the bills and have spare time to compose a masterpiece. Little did he know that his job would soon consume his life for the next thirty years. Over the course of his teaching, he realizes that he wants his students to have the same zest for music as he possesses. This movie is a great example of social cognitive theory in practice and is related to my field of study, which is music education in a secondary setting.

    Read More

  • Comparrison Donnie Darko, 2001: A Space Odyssey

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    Donnie Darko and 2001: A Space Odyssey has central meanings that focus on science and religion. Richard Kelly's, Donnie Darko, introduces the protagonist as a teenage boy who is given the chance to live for twenty-eight more days after the mysterious jet engine crash that was intended to kill him. Donnie is plagued by visions of a giant sized evil-looking rabbit named Frank. Frank orders Donnie to commit acts of violence, warns of the impending end of the world, and is his guide throughout the movie. Donnie is portrayed as a Christ-like figure that will ultimately travel back in time not only to redeem his actions, but the actions of those he has affected. When Donnie dies he becomes a martyr and saves the world, like Christ. Stanley Kubrick's, 2001: A Space Odyssey portrays human evolution while being guided by a higher intelligence. Although this higher intelligence is anonymous throughout the movie, it has placed mysterious stone structures known as "monoliths" on the moon, Saturn, and Earth. These monoliths have purposively been around for over 4,000 years and are a symbol of evolution. At each new level of human achievement, the monolith is present. The scene in A Space Odyssey, where astronaut David Bowman lands on the enigmatic monolith, focuses on an evolutionary theme, whereas the montage scene in Donnie Darko shows the reverse of time followed by Donnie laughing in bed awaiting death, thus unraveling an underlying Christian theme in which Donnie is Christ-like for sacrificing himself to save the world.

    Read More

  • Donnie Darko Psychology

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Donnie Darko? What the hell kind of name is that? It’s like some sort of superhero or something.” (Donnie Darko 2001) This movie takes place in a space that does not exist in our world. This wondrous place is connected with wormholes, which is a passage to a parallel universe. There is one person who has the ability to travel through the wormholes. Donald Darko is a mentally ill teenager that happens to sleepwalk often and ends up outside in strange places, such as a field in the mountains. Sleepwalking genuinely saved his life, due to the fact that a jet engine landed in his room at night, but he was meeting his special friend for the first time. An imaginary friend named Frank, although he is not a typical friend. A six foot tall man in

    Read More

  • Psychological Analysis Of Dr. Strangelove

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, a black and white movie, describes how the future world be destroyed by the detonation of nuclear bombs. The movie begins with that United States Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper orders his executive officer, Lionel Mandrake, to put the base on alert and sends bombers with nuclear bombs to attack the U.S.S.R. Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, the Soviet ambassador tells President Merkin Muffley that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear bombs, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all lives on Earth. General Buck Turgidson attempts to convince the President to let the attack continue and so the Soviet military cannot fight back. Instead of listening to Turgidson’s

    Read More

  • One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Psychological Analysis

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a movie that portrays a life story of a criminal named McMurphy who is sent to a mental institution because he believes that he himself is insane. While McMurphy is in the mental ward, he encounters other patients and changes their perception of the “real” world. Before McMurphy came to the mental ward, it was a place filled with strict rules and orders that patients had to follow; these rules were created by the head nurse, Nurse Ratched. However, once McMurphy was in the ward, everything, including the atmosphere, changed. He was the first patient to disobey Nurse Ratched. Unlike other patients who continuously obeyed Nurse Ratched, McMurphy and another patient named Charlie Cheswick decided to rebel

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Donnie Darko

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Donnie is introduced to us while sleepwalking, directed out of his house by a rabbit named Frank, dressed in a dark grey bunny suit. In this scene the audience isn’t aware of who the scary looking bunny is but instantly has the idea that it is something evil as everything is dark and unnerving as it is night-time. Also the dark lighting in the scene has the effect of a nightmare and creates a mood and feelings of fear and that something corrupt is happening or coming.

    Read More

  • Donnie Darko

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Donnie Darko, a science fiction film, has received universal acclaim, for its rendition in depicting a troubled teen on a path for survival. Without giving away the ending, the movie’s plot and characters may have future audience’s glued to the screen. Throughout the movie there are Easter Eggs, which are hidden secrets, to immerse the audience into the whole experience. In the words of Donnie himself, “I hope that when the world comes to an end, I can breathe a sigh of relief because there will be so much to look forward to.”

    Read More

  • Skinner Psychology In Psychology

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.” Burrhus Frederic Skinner was among the behavioral psychologists to have the most immense contribution to the field of psychology. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University from 1958-1974.

    Read More

More about Donnie Darko Psychology

Open Document