The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Bubble Boy) as Donnie, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell and Patrick Swayze. Since its release on home video, Donnie Darko has become a cult film.
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Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers
Donnie Darko's plot is somewhat confusing, and some of the events border on paradoxical. The engine of a jetliner aparently falls from the sky and lands in Donnie's bedroom. Donnie is not killed, however, because he was told by a voice to leave the house. The audience soon learns that the voice belongs to a human-sized bunny named Frank.
The alternate universe is highly unstable and will collapse in 28 days. The only way to prevent that is for Donnie to return to the original universe and die as intended. Some viewers believe the Bunny exists to convince Donnie to die, by making him shoot Frank, etc.
Much of the backstory is explained on the official Donnie Darko website, which acts as a combination puzzle and teaser for the movie. It shows that Donnie was institutionalized before the events of the movie occur, and other details that help in explaining the goings-on of the movie. The director's commentary on the DVD also gives crucial details, such as the point of departure between the real world and the alternate universe--not when the engine crashes through the ceiling, but instead a few minutes before, when Donnie is called out to meet Frank for the first time.
See also:
Plot Synopsis
Soundtrack
The song Mad world by Michael Andrews & Gary Jules, taken from the original soundtrack, was 2003 Christmas Number One in the UK singles charts. It is a cover version of the first Tears for Fears hit from 1982.External links