Cellar Door

Time Travel in Donnie Darko
By popular request, here is a brief analysis of time travel used in the movie Donnie Darko. As I've mentioned before, Donnie Darko is an enigmatic film and I'm not sure it makes total sense. At a very high level everything seems to fit, but when you start to drill down into the details things become less clear.

In the commentary track of the Directors Cut DVD, writer/director Richard Kelly attempts to clarify some of the more mystifying aspects of the film, but he still leaves a lot of wiggle room and ambiguity. He describes the time travel in the film as being driven by a "comic book logic," which should give you an idea of just how scientifically rigorous the subject is treated in the film (i.e. not very). Time travel is essentially a deus ex machina; it drives the story, but its internal mechanics are unimportant. So this analysis isn't really intended to be very rigorous either, just a few thoughts and attempts to clarify or at least call out some of the more confusing concepts.

Before I really get into it, I suppose I should mention that what follows contains manySPOILERS, so read on at your own risk. Another thing that might be useful is to go over other less than rigorous time travel theories that have been presented in film and literature. This list isn't meant to be complete, but these four theories will help in dissecting Donnie Darko. Again, many SPOILERS, especially in the case of lightning (as I'm assuming most people haven't read it).

• The Terminator: The main timeline is set, and traveling back in time cannot change anything. Indeed, traveling back in time to change the present will sometimes cause the very thing you're trying to avoid, as happens in The Terminator (for obvious dramatic reasons). This is among the more plausible time travel theories, as it avoids those messy paradoxes. As such, it is one of the more popular theories, used in many other stories (like 12 Monkeys and, funnily enough, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure). A more pretentious name for this is Circular Causation, but I think The Terminator gets the point across...
• Back to the Future: There are, I suppose, many ways to interpret time travel in this movie, but in this theory, there is still only one timeline, but you can change the past (and thus the present). In this theory, it's possible to go back in time and kill your father (before he had you), and in such a case you will "disappear." This is also a common theory, but the presence of paradox makes it less plausible. There are probably ways to explain this theory in terms of alternate universes (multiple timelines) as well...
• The End of Eternity: In Isaac Asimov's novel, a group of people known as Eternals develop time travel and decided to improve upon history by introducing carefully calculated changes in the timeline. There is more to it than that, but the concept of a society using time travel to manipulate history is an important concept that is relevant to DD.
• Lightning: In Dean Koontz's novel, time travel is only allowed in one direction: to the future. This takes care of the "kill your father" paradox rather neatly. You can, however, change the future. There is a catch though, which is probably more for dramatic effect, but which bears importance in the Donnie Darko discussion - essentially, fate doesn't like it when you attempt to change something in the future: "Destiny struggles to reassert the pattern that was meant to be." Not particularly scientific, but interesting and again, relevant to DD.

Donnie Darko sort of contains elements of all four, and since it includes the Back to the Future theory, it also sort of includes a paradox. To start, here is a diagram that will help visualize the time travel present in the film:It's not really to scale, but you get the point. Basically, the main timeline is displayed in the line segment AD (and it is a thicker line, as it is the timeline that is meant to be). BC (the black line) represents the tangent universe, a sort of alternate timeline, and this is where the majority of the film takes place. CB (the grey line) represents the time travel in the film. More details listed below:

• AB - Point A is the start of the film, and the segment AB takes place before the tangent universe begins.
• BC - Point B is the point at which an airplane engine lands on Donnie Darko's house. It is also the point at which the tangent universe begins. It is unclear as to why or how the tangent universe begins, but in the main timeline Donnie is killed, while in the tangent universe, Donnie is sort of called out of his room by a mysterious force and thus is not killed by the engine. As the movie goes, shortly after point C, the entire universe (I assume this includes the main timeline as well) is destroyed. This implies that tangent universes must be resolved and cannot be allowed to continue. The film references a fictional bookwhich describes the tangent universe thusly:

  If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks.
  
  Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence.

  This particular information is referenced in the Directors Cut, but not in thetheatrical cut.
• CB - This segment is represented by the grey line between points C and B. At point C, a jet engine falls off an aircraft and travels back in time, hitting Donnie's house at point B. I assume that this event is what causes the tangent universe to form in the first place, which is paradoxical - how can the tangent universe exist when it is caused by itself?
• BD - The period immediately following point B is shown in the film, but the rest of the segment is not. It is unclear whether or not the jet engine falls off the plane at point D (which parallels point C) or not. I get the impression that it doesn't, but if it did, it might help resolve the paradox shown in CB.

Even after all this, there are still many, many, many questions to be answered. There are a few other things we need to establish first.

First, does Donnie have some sort of superpower? Donnie is obviously different from other people. The film doesn't show any sort of explicit references to his powers, but it is sort of implied by his visits to a psychiatrist and his visions. I suppose the water trails he sees (which show the future path of a person, sometimes including himself) could be an expression of his abilities (as it allows him to see into the future). It's clear that Donnie made a decision near the end of the movie that he was going to "fix" the universe and allow himself to be killed by the jet engine, but it's not clear how that happens. Does Donnie actually cause that to happen, or is he just aware of it happening and going along for the ride? There is a sort of messianic theme in the movie, so I'm assuming that Donnie has some sort of power to send himself and/or the jet engine back in time and link the two universes together (and to collapse the tangent universe without destroying all of existence).

Richard Kelly, in explaining his take on the story, indicated that he wanted to communicate that there was some sort of technology at work in the tangent universe, manipulating everyone's actions, and attempting to set things right. It is unclear what exactly this technology is, how it works, or who is using it, but his point is that someone is orchestrating events in the tangent universe so as to fix the universe (or to allow Donnie the opportunity to fix things). When he mentioned this concept, I immediately thought of Asimov's Eternals, people who manipulated time and history for the betterment of mankind. In Donnie Darko, perhaps there exists a similar group of people who are tasked with ensuring that tangent universes are closed. Or perhaps, Donnie himself is subconsciously manipulating events to help fix things.

I also thought of Koontz's Lighting and that infamous line "Destiny struggles to reassert the pattern that was meant to be." In that scenario, there isn't really a technology at work, just fate, perhaps augmented by Donnie's supernatural abilities. Indeed, it could be some sort of combination of these three explanations: Donnie Darko has powers which are augmented by some sort of technology and fate.

What is Frank (the demonic looking bunny), and what role does he play in the story? This is very unclear. He may be a ghost, he may be the result of Donnie's unconscious awareness of the future, or he may be a projection from the technological puppet-masters.

There are obviously a number of other explanations. What if the timeline actually follows a linear path (i.e. the linear presentation in the movie)? In that scenario, the timeline would go from A to B to C to D, except that B and D are essentially the same point in time (perhaps the main timeline stopped while the tangent universe worked itself out). So the time travel line would occur between CD.

And of course, this doesn't really take into account all the themes of the film. I suppose I should also note that I've been analyzing the Directors Cut, which references a lot more of the fictional book, The Philosophy Of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow (a character in the film). The Directors Cut gives more information on the guiding forces in the story, and it gives a more sci-fi bend than the theatrical cut, but both cuts are sufficiently ambiguous as to allow multiple interpretations, many of which end up being pretty silly when you drill down into the details, and some don't make much sense, but in the end that doesn't really matter all that much because you have to figure it out for yourself...

Posted by Mark at 01:34 PM
Categories: Best Entries , Movies

The Philosophy Of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow

foreword I would like to thank the sisters of the Saint John Chapter in Alexandria, Virginia for their support (in my decision). By the grace of God, they are: Sister Eleance Lewis Sister Francesca Godard Sister Helen Davis Sister Catherine (Arnold) Sister Mary Lee Pond Sister Virginia (Weaver) ....This intent(?) of this short book is for it to be used as a simple and direct guide in a time of great danger. I pray that this is merely a work of fiction. If it is not, then I pray for you, the reader of this book. ....If I am still alive when the events foretold in these pages occur, then I hope that you will find me before it is too late. Roberta Ann Sparrow October, 1944 Chapter One The Tangent Universe ....The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril. War, plague, famine and natural disaster are common. Death comes to us all. ....The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable. ....Incidents when the fabric of the fourth dimension becomes corrupted are incredibly rare. ....If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks. ....Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence. Chapter One The Tangent Universe ....The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril. War, plague, famine and natural disaster are common. Death comes to us all. ....The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable. ....Incidents when the fabric of the fourth dimension becomes corrupted are incredibly rare. ....If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks. ....Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence. Chapter Two Water And Metal Water and Metal are the key elements of Time Travel. k ....Water is the barrier element for the construction of Time Portals used as gateways between Universes at the Tangent Vortex. k ....Metal is the (transitional) element for the construction of Artifact Vessels. Chapter Four The Artifact And The Living ....When a Tangent Universe occurs, those living nearest to the Vortex will find themselves at the epi- center of a dangerous new world. ....Artifacts provide the first sign that a Tangent Universe has occurred. ....If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity. Artifacts are formed from metal, such as an Arrowhead from an ancient Mayan civilization, or a Metal Sword from Medieval Europe. ....Artifacts returned to the Primary Universe are often linked to religious iconography; as their appearance on Earth seems to defy logical explanation. ....Divine Intervention is deemed the only logical con-. clusion for the appearance of the Artifact. Chapter Six The Living Receiver ....The Living Receiver is chosen to guide the Artifact into position for it's journey back to the Primary Universe. No one knows how or why a Receiver will be chosen. ....The Living Receiver is often (blessed) with a Fourth Dimensional Power(s). These include increased strength, telekinesis, mind control, and the ability to conjure fire and water. ....The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe. ....Those surrounding the Living Receiver, known as the Manipulated, will fear him and try to destroy him. Chapter Seven The Manipulated Living ....The Manipulated Living are often the close friends and neighbors of the Living Receiver. ....They are prone to irrational, bizarre, and often violent behavior. This is the unfortunate result of their task, which is to assist the Living Receiver in returning the Artifact to the Primary Universe. ....The Manipulated Living will do anything to save themselves from Oblivion. Chapter Ten The Manipulated Dead ....The Manipulated Dead are more powerful than the Living Receiver. If a person dies within the Tangent Dimension, they are able to contact the Living Receiver through the Fourth Dimensional Construct. The Fourth Dimensional Construct is made of Water. ....The Manipulated Dead will manipulate the Living Receiver using the Fourth Dimensional Construct (see Appendix A and B). ....The Manipulated Dead will often set an Ensurance Trap for the Living Receiver to ensure that the Artifact is returned safely to the Primary Universe. ....If the Ensurance Trap is successful, the Living Receiver is left with no choice but to use his Fourth Dimensional Power to send the Artifact back in time into the Primary Universe before the Black Hole collapses upon itself. Chapter Twelve Dreams ....When the Manipulated awakens from their Journey into the Tangent Universe, they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams. Many of them will not remember. ....Those who do remember the Journey are often over- come with profound remorse for the regretful actions buried within their Dreams, the only physical evidence buried within the Artifact itself, all that remains from the lost world. ....Ancient myth tells us of the Mayan Warrior killed by an Arrowhead that had fallen from a cliff, where there was no Army, no enemy to be found. ....We are told of the Medieval Knight mysteriously impaled by the sword he had not yet built. We are told that these things occur for a reason. Notes Living Receiver Donald [or maybe Donnie] Darko (died October 2, 1988) Manipulated Dead Frank (Anderson) Gretchen Ross (not her real name) Manipulated Living (everyone else in the film - list includes Donnie's family, friends, enemies, Roberta Sparrow, etc. // note after Jim Cunningham's name reads, I think, "died October 1988")