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blustockingThere's a lady named Autumn outside my window. She's wrapped in leaves and wisps of wood-smoke. A brisk air blows through her auburn hair and her skin tastes of caramel apples and cider. I'd love to go outside and sit with her, converse with the full moon, but I have things to do. Always things to do.
Luckily, the drive home let me smell her burning embers and brisk night air for a bit. It will do for now, but I know I will have to take advantage of her company as much as possible. Even in Southern California, she visits and departs every year.
(I'll leave that, just as a testament to my geekiness.)
So, I saw it again. I know it seems that I'm going overboard in my enthusiasm for this movie, but to me, it's damn near perfect. It serves as inspiration and it pushes my mind-buttons.
I now have 5, maybe 6, theories about this movie. And the best part is, all of them could be true. Or maybe the best part is the way the music fits so seemlessly with the film, the way the lyrics were considered as opposed to what's popular or what just "sounds cool". I simply love the direction and cinematography as well. There are some absolutely brilliant scenes in there. Especially the "Head Over Heels" scene and the way he sped up and slowed down the pace. Seamless. And of course, the acting, on all sides, was excellent. This is definitely a movie for both halves of your brain.
Theory #1.
The Most Obvious:It's all about the girl, saving the girl. He goes back to save the girl.
This is too simple for me, to shallow, I don't particularly like this theory, but it fits, if that's what you need it to be.
Theory #2.
The Second Most Obvious: It's all a dream.
This is just a cop-out. I don't think it would be that simple, (heheh). Of course, if that's what you get from it, that's what you get, but it's too literal. I don't like this theory much either, but again, it's a possibility.
Theory #3.
Some people were just born at the wrong time
I'm sure we've all either known someone, or are someone, who is just not at home in their own skin. They seem to be from another time, or just don't belong in ours. If Donnie is the Vessel and his friends, family, teachers, everyone around him are the Manipulated Living, then this would be true (can also be combined with other theories). Frank would be the Manipulated Dead. They all work towards one goal, get the Vessel back to his time. This would explain how Gretchen and Rose Darko seem to know each other in the end. A common goal for a greater good. It would also explain Rose Darko's behaviour, knowing she loves someone, gave birth to someone that she will lose, who doesn't belong here and who she'll have to work to put back where they belong. It also said on the site that the Manipulated Living who come in close contact with the Vessel, experience great remorse/sadness/grief. Reason for end sequence and Jim Cunningham's suicide(on the site). How would you feel if you had to steer someone to their death, if it was your job for 28 days, to correct an aberration? Also explains the fire/water and metal (from the site and Donnie's vandalism).
Theory #4
Which somewhat ties in with Theory #3.
"Everybody dies alone". All through the movie, it is put to us, "What if you could go back in time, make all of your bad memories good?" What if you didn't have to die alone? What if this was about making it right? Correcting an aberration. When he finally figures it our and the "sky opens up", he's laughing, for the first time, really. He's happy, he rolls over and goes to sleep, somewhat accepting his fate, but it's okay, because he's where he should be and he isn't dying alone really, he now has happy memories.
Theory #5
More of thoughts on all of the theories.
Donnie could just be a time traveler, touching people's lives along the way. Or, it could be an argument for divine fate. We all follow along said path, but what happens when there's a rip in the fabric, someone who can see the future or someone who somehow got off the path. How would it be corrected? Where is he now? Heaven? Another Time? I like the theory of correction. Frank coming back from the future to steer Donnie to a happy death. Makes "Mad World" all the more poignant. "And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had." It fits all theories. Beautiful.
Theory #6.
The Gift of Time.
What if you were so unhappy, but fate had death in store for you? What if you were given 28 days to make good memories to take with you? What if Donnie's time was up, but he were given a set amount of time to fix things, make some happiness for himself? I'd like to know what Richard Kelly was thinking dammit. I'd like to know what he thinks happens to Donnie after he dies. Ooooor, what if Donnie just happened to be the Vessel at the right place/time that a wormhole occurred, thus giving him this time to correct it. The beings(Manipulated Living) around him instinctively know what has happened and work towards this goal with Donnie. He would be the only one who has to figure it out. Damn. That fits too.
So my only questions are this, Why? Why Donnie? Is it really just a fluke, or was he really meant to be somewhere else? And does Frank remember? Or does he just have a sense of what is going to happen, has happened? It's so beautifully circular that it's making me dizzy.
I wish I had someone to talk to about this, someone intelligent with some common sense. Someone who is as provoked and absorbed as I seem to be. Heheh. :)
Maybe that's just it. Everyone dies alone, but do you die happy? Do you have good memories to take with you? And if so, are you really alone? Or was he just in the wrong time, wrong place? It could be both. It could be either. It could be neither. That is what I love and yet it drives me to think more about it.
I swear this movie is going to either make my thinking more coherent or drive me nuts in the process.
Luckily, the drive home let me smell her burning embers and brisk night air for a bit. It will do for now, but I know I will have to take advantage of her company as much as possible. Even in Southern California, she visits and departs every year.
(I'll leave that, just as a testament to my geekiness.)
So, I saw it again. I know it seems that I'm going overboard in my enthusiasm for this movie, but to me, it's damn near perfect. It serves as inspiration and it pushes my mind-buttons.
I now have 5, maybe 6, theories about this movie. And the best part is, all of them could be true. Or maybe the best part is the way the music fits so seemlessly with the film, the way the lyrics were considered as opposed to what's popular or what just "sounds cool". I simply love the direction and cinematography as well. There are some absolutely brilliant scenes in there. Especially the "Head Over Heels" scene and the way he sped up and slowed down the pace. Seamless. And of course, the acting, on all sides, was excellent. This is definitely a movie for both halves of your brain.
Theory #1.
The Most Obvious:It's all about the girl, saving the girl. He goes back to save the girl.
This is too simple for me, to shallow, I don't particularly like this theory, but it fits, if that's what you need it to be.
Theory #2.
The Second Most Obvious: It's all a dream.
This is just a cop-out. I don't think it would be that simple, (heheh). Of course, if that's what you get from it, that's what you get, but it's too literal. I don't like this theory much either, but again, it's a possibility.
Theory #3.
Some people were just born at the wrong time
I'm sure we've all either known someone, or are someone, who is just not at home in their own skin. They seem to be from another time, or just don't belong in ours. If Donnie is the Vessel and his friends, family, teachers, everyone around him are the Manipulated Living, then this would be true (can also be combined with other theories). Frank would be the Manipulated Dead. They all work towards one goal, get the Vessel back to his time. This would explain how Gretchen and Rose Darko seem to know each other in the end. A common goal for a greater good. It would also explain Rose Darko's behaviour, knowing she loves someone, gave birth to someone that she will lose, who doesn't belong here and who she'll have to work to put back where they belong. It also said on the site that the Manipulated Living who come in close contact with the Vessel, experience great remorse/sadness/grief. Reason for end sequence and Jim Cunningham's suicide(on the site). How would you feel if you had to steer someone to their death, if it was your job for 28 days, to correct an aberration? Also explains the fire/water and metal (from the site and Donnie's vandalism).
Theory #4
Which somewhat ties in with Theory #3.
"Everybody dies alone". All through the movie, it is put to us, "What if you could go back in time, make all of your bad memories good?" What if you didn't have to die alone? What if this was about making it right? Correcting an aberration. When he finally figures it our and the "sky opens up", he's laughing, for the first time, really. He's happy, he rolls over and goes to sleep, somewhat accepting his fate, but it's okay, because he's where he should be and he isn't dying alone really, he now has happy memories.
Theory #5
More of thoughts on all of the theories.
Donnie could just be a time traveler, touching people's lives along the way. Or, it could be an argument for divine fate. We all follow along said path, but what happens when there's a rip in the fabric, someone who can see the future or someone who somehow got off the path. How would it be corrected? Where is he now? Heaven? Another Time? I like the theory of correction. Frank coming back from the future to steer Donnie to a happy death. Makes "Mad World" all the more poignant. "And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had." It fits all theories. Beautiful.
Theory #6.
The Gift of Time.
What if you were so unhappy, but fate had death in store for you? What if you were given 28 days to make good memories to take with you? What if Donnie's time was up, but he were given a set amount of time to fix things, make some happiness for himself? I'd like to know what Richard Kelly was thinking dammit. I'd like to know what he thinks happens to Donnie after he dies. Ooooor, what if Donnie just happened to be the Vessel at the right place/time that a wormhole occurred, thus giving him this time to correct it. The beings(Manipulated Living) around him instinctively know what has happened and work towards this goal with Donnie. He would be the only one who has to figure it out. Damn. That fits too.
So my only questions are this, Why? Why Donnie? Is it really just a fluke, or was he really meant to be somewhere else? And does Frank remember? Or does he just have a sense of what is going to happen, has happened? It's so beautifully circular that it's making me dizzy.
I wish I had someone to talk to about this, someone intelligent with some common sense. Someone who is as provoked and absorbed as I seem to be. Heheh. :)
Maybe that's just it. Everyone dies alone, but do you die happy? Do you have good memories to take with you? And if so, are you really alone? Or was he just in the wrong time, wrong place? It could be both. It could be either. It could be neither. That is what I love and yet it drives me to think more about it.
I swear this movie is going to either make my thinking more coherent or drive me nuts in the process.
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Yay! I saw it!
Date: 2001-10-30 12:06 am (UTC)When great movies like this come out it makes DVD whores like myself salivate at the thought of being able to watch it over and over in the comfort of my own home. Plus whenever people come over I have to cram it down their throat like I did with Fight Club. "Wait, watch this, it wasn't in the movie!" "Look! The Fight Club CATALOG!" My friends all hate me. :(
Whooo!
Date: 2001-10-30 12:23 am (UTC)I don't even have a DVD player and I'll probably buy the DVD of this one. I really hope they put out a soundtrack too. That version of "Mad World" is haunting.
Did you see it tonight? WERE WE WATCHING IT AT THE SAME TIME?! Like, OMG! Heheh.
Can you think of anything to add to my list of theories? I like not having to decide exactly what happened, but it's nice to hear what people think happened or how they theorized. I think I can rest a bit now that I wrote all of that out though. After I saw it the first time, my head was so crammed with feelings and thoughts that I had to give it a few days and then see it again.
I feel silly going on about this movie so much. I should stop.
Re: Whooo!
Date: 2001-10-30 06:55 am (UTC)no, I hate that idea. It's such an insult to the audience's intelligence when you sit through something that you later find out never really happened. Unless it's a Lynch movie.
I'm not too sure what I think really happened, and that's how I like it. I like to leave a theater and still have a movie with me, not like those other movies that I forget about the next day.
Absolutely.
Date: 2001-10-30 11:11 pm (UTC)I completely understand you not wanting to over-analyze it though. I just couldn't rest my mind until I wrote all of that out.
Eep, I want to go next door to the studio to get some pop, but it's dark over there yo.