http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR91Rj1ZN1M
Although, Fight Club cannot be completely grasped in only one line, if I had to choose one line to summarize the film, the film’s final line would be my top candidate: “You met me at a very strange time in my life.” Throughout Fight Club, the narrator, played by Edward Norton, struggles with many of the same existential issues that Sartre also grappled with, and it is his journey to define himself that establishes the basis for the entire film.
When we first meet our narrator, who later refers to himself as Jack, he is an automobile recall specialist that suffers from insomnia. Although he is not consciously aware of it, he is the epitome of existence precedes essence. Jack has been following the path that his parents, and more generally, society as a whole, set for him when he is young. He makes few important choices that truly define him, instead he seeks to define himself through the way he decorates his apartment. Jack, like so many others, is so consumed by consumerism, that he has come to define himself by his material possessions and not his character. That all changes, of course, when he meets Tyler.
Tyler, his subconscious alter ego, shows him that he is a mere shell of what he can be.
Fight Club also explores the angst of the human condition. Throughout the film, when the narrator faces a difficult choice he often resorts back to what he has done in the past: nothing. For example, when Marla calls him to tell him that she overdosed on pills, the narrator fails to do anything, and instead, it his alter ego, Tyler, that makes a decision for him. By the end of the film, when Jack realizes Tyler’s entire plan, he knows he must do something. However, he is so torn between the consequences of his decision that he almost resolves to do nothing at all. However, his time with Tyler has taught him that it his responsibility to make choices, and with that he is able to imagine the gun in his hand, not Tyler’s, and he makes the most important decision of the entire film, to shoot himself, and thereby kill Tyler.
Monday, April 26, 2010
PART IV. Oh Donnie, the existentialist! (A general post that tracks his growth)
Donnie is not doomed to a certain fate. Perhaps this should have come first, but time is all jumbled anyways.
Doomed is a word that comes up when the family relocates to a hotel after the jet engine crashes in their home (that is, when Donnie is not there to die.) The father mentions a classmate that had died on his way to prom- everyone said he must have been doomed. Gretchen, Donnie's girlfriend, also seems doomed: her stepfather stabbed her mother in the chest four times. Even though they relocate to Donnie's town, the last we hear is that her mother has disappeared and her home shows signs of a serious struggle. Gretchen cries to Donnie, "I guess some people are just born with tragedy in their blood." An existentialist denies the concept of "doom" - quite simply because we choose our actions that determine our future. There is no specific fate designed or laid out for us.
It may seem so, but Donnie is not doomed. I have said he is our own existentialist Christ, because in the movie he makes the ultimate sacrifice and chooses to save others. It is ultimately his choice to die, and he is fully empowered to make this choice.
However, at the beginning, it is clear that this is not true. Donnie is held under the control of a variety of forces that keep him from realizing the power of choice: from his therapist's giving him anti-psychotic meds to his diagnosis as a paranoid schizophrenic, Donnie is labeled as troubled kid who has been victimized by his society and even his own brain. Similarly, the therapist's hypnosis technique deprives Donnie of his self-consciousness (not meaning insecurity) much like how Frank deprives him of choice through trance/sleepwalking. Thus, when Donnie bursts the water pipe at school and jams an ax into a school statue, his graffiti cry for help "They made me do it" resonates as an anti-existentialist excuse.
There is, however, a turning point in Donnie. While the therapist may impede Donnie on his path to full self-realization (through meds and a diagnosis), she also provides him with key guidance. Donnie speaks of Frank (or God, as the therapist assumes): "I have to obey him or else I'll be all alone. I won't be able to figure it out." This is not true though, which Donnie proves to us. Yes, Frank helps him see into the future and guides him, but Donnie also discovers truth by himself, as he explores these concepts with his therapist, his science and english teachers, and even Roberta Sparrow's book. Donnie continues to discuss what he has discovered, his fear that there is a portal in the sky that will open time up beyond a linear dimension. The therapist replies with a statement that resembles Sartre's prose in Existentialism is Humanism: "If the sky were to open up, there would be no rule, no law. It would only be you and your memories, the choices you've made, and the people you've touched." This is true: an existential world is a lawless one, but not in a negative way. We are left we our choices and our character. We are left by those we touch with our choices and with our character.
So Donnie, by his final choice of death, is under no influence of meds, hypnosis, sleepwalking or even Frank's words. He is alone, responsible, and willful. Words resonate with him, as he examines the recent past's events: the recently deceased Gretchen's words stick with him, "What if you could go back in time and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better." Now Gretchen is of course talking about a product pitch for science class that gives children pleasant visuals as they sleep, but it fits so well with Donnie's final moments. What that "something better" is, he does not know, but he realizes his choice is to try and replace those hours of pain and darkness. He is lucid when he makes this choice, he has not (as is poetic) slept all night. Has not slipped from consciousness. He lies awake in bed, wide awake, in laughter as he awaits his death. Is his laughter a sign of madness? No- it is that laughter that comes over us when everything suddenly makes sense- it is a laughter of relief, of understanding, of acceptance, and maybe, however sad it may seem, of joy.
Rosie
Doomed is a word that comes up when the family relocates to a hotel after the jet engine crashes in their home (that is, when Donnie is not there to die.) The father mentions a classmate that had died on his way to prom- everyone said he must have been doomed. Gretchen, Donnie's girlfriend, also seems doomed: her stepfather stabbed her mother in the chest four times. Even though they relocate to Donnie's town, the last we hear is that her mother has disappeared and her home shows signs of a serious struggle. Gretchen cries to Donnie, "I guess some people are just born with tragedy in their blood." An existentialist denies the concept of "doom" - quite simply because we choose our actions that determine our future. There is no specific fate designed or laid out for us.
It may seem so, but Donnie is not doomed. I have said he is our own existentialist Christ, because in the movie he makes the ultimate sacrifice and chooses to save others. It is ultimately his choice to die, and he is fully empowered to make this choice.
However, at the beginning, it is clear that this is not true. Donnie is held under the control of a variety of forces that keep him from realizing the power of choice: from his therapist's giving him anti-psychotic meds to his diagnosis as a paranoid schizophrenic, Donnie is labeled as troubled kid who has been victimized by his society and even his own brain. Similarly, the therapist's hypnosis technique deprives Donnie of his self-consciousness (not meaning insecurity) much like how Frank deprives him of choice through trance/sleepwalking. Thus, when Donnie bursts the water pipe at school and jams an ax into a school statue, his graffiti cry for help "They made me do it" resonates as an anti-existentialist excuse.
There is, however, a turning point in Donnie. While the therapist may impede Donnie on his path to full self-realization (through meds and a diagnosis), she also provides him with key guidance. Donnie speaks of Frank (or God, as the therapist assumes): "I have to obey him or else I'll be all alone. I won't be able to figure it out." This is not true though, which Donnie proves to us. Yes, Frank helps him see into the future and guides him, but Donnie also discovers truth by himself, as he explores these concepts with his therapist, his science and english teachers, and even Roberta Sparrow's book. Donnie continues to discuss what he has discovered, his fear that there is a portal in the sky that will open time up beyond a linear dimension. The therapist replies with a statement that resembles Sartre's prose in Existentialism is Humanism: "If the sky were to open up, there would be no rule, no law. It would only be you and your memories, the choices you've made, and the people you've touched." This is true: an existential world is a lawless one, but not in a negative way. We are left we our choices and our character. We are left by those we touch with our choices and with our character.
So Donnie, by his final choice of death, is under no influence of meds, hypnosis, sleepwalking or even Frank's words. He is alone, responsible, and willful. Words resonate with him, as he examines the recent past's events: the recently deceased Gretchen's words stick with him, "What if you could go back in time and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better." Now Gretchen is of course talking about a product pitch for science class that gives children pleasant visuals as they sleep, but it fits so well with Donnie's final moments. What that "something better" is, he does not know, but he realizes his choice is to try and replace those hours of pain and darkness. He is lucid when he makes this choice, he has not (as is poetic) slept all night. Has not slipped from consciousness. He lies awake in bed, wide awake, in laughter as he awaits his death. Is his laughter a sign of madness? No- it is that laughter that comes over us when everything suddenly makes sense- it is a laughter of relief, of understanding, of acceptance, and maybe, however sad it may seem, of joy.
Rosie
PART III. God, abandonment, and Donnie, the messiah!
Existentialism, as we know, can be atheistic or not. Donnie Darko deals with the question of God directly, in conversations between Donnie, his therapist, and his science teacher, but also allegorically.
In my previous post, I talked about a telling conversation with the Science Teacher who confirms that God's existence doesn't matter- for even if God did exist, we would still have choice. We would still have the choice to betray God's will. This is reflective of Sartre's take: God shouldn't, and doesn't, matter, here on Earth. We decide our life for ourselves.
Speculations like these echo throughout the film- for instance, Roberta Sparrow, the ex-nun who wrote the inspiring Philosophy of Time Travel and is endearingly called Grandma Death by the local teenagers, whispers one inaudible phrase in the movie in Donnie's ear: "Every living creature on earth dies alone." This not only foreshadows Donnie's death, but it also touches on the existentialist consequence of abandonment. Our friend D. Darko discusses abandonment, which merely means the absence of God and the conclusions of this isolation, with the beloved Therapist. "I don't debate it anymore, It's absurd." Donnie announces vaguely. The therapist clarifies, "The search for God is absurd?" Donnie replies, "It is if everyone dies alone."
Interesting- Donnie does address abandonment, but not as an effect of existentialism per se, but rather as the reason for his agnosticism. Why does God matter if we all die alone? Our own abandonment leads us to ambivalence about a higher power. It is notable that Donnie dies alone- alone in more than a physical sense. He is the only one who dies knowing the answer to that impossible question "What if?" He knows what would have happened if he had lived. But Donnie chooses to die- or rather, he chooses to be killed. This action (albeit a passive one, in a literal sense) is Christ-like, for Donnie dies to save mankind, and to save mankind from sin. He directly saves his girlfriend Gretchen, his mother and sister, but also seems to save others in a less obvious sense- he saves Frank from committing vehicular manslaughter as well, not just his girlfriend from being run over. In the final montage, we see Jim Cunningham inexplicably wake up crying- could it be that this previously static character has a moment of sentimental clarity and he sees the wrong in his ways? (According to Burgess, this means Donnie Darko is good literature, so to speak: the characters are allowed to change.) Or as Sartre says "In reality and for the existentialist, there is no love apart from the deeds of love."And Donnie's final act is his act of love, redemption, and selflessness.
Moving backwards (forwards? nowhere? time gets jumbled.), before Donnie's death, we see hints at this biblical parallel. There is the obvious: the coming of Judgement Day, the apocalypse, Armageddon, or whatever you may call it. Frank informs Donnie about the end of the world, and constantly reminds him when it will end (28 days, 14 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds are his first words in the movie.) So it's hard to deny the godliness of Frank (the freaky bunny!). He is all the godly omnis, as I call them: omnipresent, omniscient, and sometimes even omnipotent. By this, I basically mean, he is everywhere, knows the future, and controls Donnie. For instance, Frank randomly appears in the cinema next to Donnie and a sleeping Gretchen and commands Donnie to burn Jim Cunningham's house to the ground- this seems like one of God's inexplicable commandments, but this action reveals Cunningham as a child pornographer, and he is subsequently brought to justice. This enforces all three omnis of God: he can appear at any place, knows that Cunningham is up to no good and must be exposed, and has the power over Donnie to have him carry out the ugly deed of arson. As Donnie leaves the theatre, I noted a clever throwback to this Christian theme: the theatre is playing "The Last Temptation of Christ." (See this exchange in the theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXbBlGBoUms, which begins about one minute into the video.)
In a sense, I believe that this is Donnie's last temptation for it is the last deed he commits under the control of Frank. Afterwards, he realizes that the future is up to him to decide, not up to Frank, and he lets himself be killed for the sake of others. Although this is a passive action (he does not do harm to himself, but waits in his room for the jet engine to crush him), it is deeply rooted in the most powerful and vital choice in the film.
Rosie
In my previous post, I talked about a telling conversation with the Science Teacher who confirms that God's existence doesn't matter- for even if God did exist, we would still have choice. We would still have the choice to betray God's will. This is reflective of Sartre's take: God shouldn't, and doesn't, matter, here on Earth. We decide our life for ourselves.
Speculations like these echo throughout the film- for instance, Roberta Sparrow, the ex-nun who wrote the inspiring Philosophy of Time Travel and is endearingly called Grandma Death by the local teenagers, whispers one inaudible phrase in the movie in Donnie's ear: "Every living creature on earth dies alone." This not only foreshadows Donnie's death, but it also touches on the existentialist consequence of abandonment. Our friend D. Darko discusses abandonment, which merely means the absence of God and the conclusions of this isolation, with the beloved Therapist. "I don't debate it anymore, It's absurd." Donnie announces vaguely. The therapist clarifies, "The search for God is absurd?" Donnie replies, "It is if everyone dies alone."
Interesting- Donnie does address abandonment, but not as an effect of existentialism per se, but rather as the reason for his agnosticism. Why does God matter if we all die alone? Our own abandonment leads us to ambivalence about a higher power. It is notable that Donnie dies alone- alone in more than a physical sense. He is the only one who dies knowing the answer to that impossible question "What if?" He knows what would have happened if he had lived. But Donnie chooses to die- or rather, he chooses to be killed. This action (albeit a passive one, in a literal sense) is Christ-like, for Donnie dies to save mankind, and to save mankind from sin. He directly saves his girlfriend Gretchen, his mother and sister, but also seems to save others in a less obvious sense- he saves Frank from committing vehicular manslaughter as well, not just his girlfriend from being run over. In the final montage, we see Jim Cunningham inexplicably wake up crying- could it be that this previously static character has a moment of sentimental clarity and he sees the wrong in his ways? (According to Burgess, this means Donnie Darko is good literature, so to speak: the characters are allowed to change.) Or as Sartre says "In reality and for the existentialist, there is no love apart from the deeds of love."And Donnie's final act is his act of love, redemption, and selflessness.
Moving backwards (forwards? nowhere? time gets jumbled.), before Donnie's death, we see hints at this biblical parallel. There is the obvious: the coming of Judgement Day, the apocalypse, Armageddon, or whatever you may call it. Frank informs Donnie about the end of the world, and constantly reminds him when it will end (28 days, 14 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds are his first words in the movie.) So it's hard to deny the godliness of Frank (the freaky bunny!). He is all the godly omnis, as I call them: omnipresent, omniscient, and sometimes even omnipotent. By this, I basically mean, he is everywhere, knows the future, and controls Donnie. For instance, Frank randomly appears in the cinema next to Donnie and a sleeping Gretchen and commands Donnie to burn Jim Cunningham's house to the ground- this seems like one of God's inexplicable commandments, but this action reveals Cunningham as a child pornographer, and he is subsequently brought to justice. This enforces all three omnis of God: he can appear at any place, knows that Cunningham is up to no good and must be exposed, and has the power over Donnie to have him carry out the ugly deed of arson. As Donnie leaves the theatre, I noted a clever throwback to this Christian theme: the theatre is playing "The Last Temptation of Christ." (See this exchange in the theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXbBlGBoUms, which begins about one minute into the video.)
In a sense, I believe that this is Donnie's last temptation for it is the last deed he commits under the control of Frank. Afterwards, he realizes that the future is up to him to decide, not up to Frank, and he lets himself be killed for the sake of others. Although this is a passive action (he does not do harm to himself, but waits in his room for the jet engine to crush him), it is deeply rooted in the most powerful and vital choice in the film.
Rosie
The Truman Show: Questioning Reality
Adam Zerihoun
What's going on? Is this real? Does my life have any meaning? These questions are all answered in the movie The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir, a true work of existentialism and the meaning of existence, choice, and life as we know it.T Truman Burbank, the main character, appears to be living a normal life, or so he believes. The truth is that his life is actually a live television show, called "The Truman Show" and every event in his life has been fixed by the creator of the show, Christof, who serves as a godlike figure. This film is filled with instances in which Truman's life shows obvious signs of being tampered with, preventing him from existing on his own and making his own choices. Christof even changes some of Truman's memories to prevent him from questioning his life and existence, all only for a profit. However Christof fails in his "godlike" duties in keeping Truman blissfully unaware of his true purpose in life.
Truman's suspicions are first aroused at the sight of his father. His father, who is really an actor, was presumed to have died when Truman was a child. However, when Truman reunites with his father, dressed as a homeless man, he begins to ask questions concerning his life for the first time. Choices are presented to Truman for the first time in his life and, at first, he is unsure how to process them. Truman has been so used to his life being predetermined, since it has been completely been controlled by his "god" Christof. For nearly 30 years, he has been completely unaware that his supposed family, friends, and wife (all actors in the show) have been lying to him. Truman's suspicions grow even larger as he begins to notice strange behaviors in his loved ones. He is completely unaware, as Christof has planned, that he is being brainwashed from trying to explore and escape his sheltered home of Seahaven. For the 30 years he has lived in his home, Truman has never been truly given any choices in life, as Christof has already predetermined every detail of how Truman's life will turn out. However, Truman's dreams and memories are the only thing that Christof has failed to completely control. While he fails to act on these dreams, Truman still has hopes of a better life which prevent him from being truly happy in this paradise that was built for him. The one memory of his that hints to the truth of his existence is his first meeting with Sylvia (Lauren in the show). Since Christof has determined who Truman's wife will be, he interferes with this meeting and, as a response, Sylvia attempts to reveal the truth to Truman. Because of these events, Truman harbors feelings of confusion and anger throughout his life concerning whether he is truly in control of his destiny.
At one point of the film, Truman eventually becomes convinced that something is wrong with his life. With the reappearance of his father and the lingering memory of the encounter with his first love Sylvia, Truman feels unsure whether he can trust anyone anymore. He begins to act rashly, nearly endangering his and his wife's lives by trying to escape in his car. In this instance, Truman does begin to make choices for himself, but his efforts are all for naught. What is different about these choices is that he is not in his right mind while he makes them. He is irrationally acting out his own frustrations from realizing that his whole world might be turning against him. Truman's decision to finally act on his dreams shows his growth as a character. However, his true growth is shown when he decides to act out his greatest dream, which he has been to escape and explore the rest of the world.
The issue of choice manifests itself to its fullest at the climactic ending of the movie, where Truman finally learns the truth about his life when trying to escape. Truman discovers that his world is completely false and when accepting defeat, he coincidentally finds the exit to this prison he has called home for 30 years. In the clip below, Truman is finally confronted by Christof (who in this clip, almost seems like a God himself) and is presented with the choice to either stay in this life, or go out into the real world. Christof attempts to persuade him to remain in his home, convincing him that he is more secure here than he ever would be out there, even if all that security is a complete lie. What makes this movie a true example of existentialist film is the fact that Truman finally decides for himself right at the end. By deciding to leave, Truman has broken free from the influence of Christof and has finally decided to make his own choices in life. Truman finally becomes the master of his own destiny by saying one simple line: "In case I don't see you... good afternoon, good evening, and good night". His choice to finally escape the prison he has called his life is indicative of the evolution of his character. The Truman Show shows how a character can grow and evolve to making choices on his own from a sheltered and controlled life and for Truman Burbank, he is able to finally realize his purpose in life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o5APFI6kH0
What's going on? Is this real? Does my life have any meaning? These questions are all answered in the movie The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir, a true work of existentialism and the meaning of existence, choice, and life as we know it.T Truman Burbank, the main character, appears to be living a normal life, or so he believes. The truth is that his life is actually a live television show, called "The Truman Show" and every event in his life has been fixed by the creator of the show, Christof, who serves as a godlike figure. This film is filled with instances in which Truman's life shows obvious signs of being tampered with, preventing him from existing on his own and making his own choices. Christof even changes some of Truman's memories to prevent him from questioning his life and existence, all only for a profit. However Christof fails in his "godlike" duties in keeping Truman blissfully unaware of his true purpose in life.
Truman's suspicions are first aroused at the sight of his father. His father, who is really an actor, was presumed to have died when Truman was a child. However, when Truman reunites with his father, dressed as a homeless man, he begins to ask questions concerning his life for the first time. Choices are presented to Truman for the first time in his life and, at first, he is unsure how to process them. Truman has been so used to his life being predetermined, since it has been completely been controlled by his "god" Christof. For nearly 30 years, he has been completely unaware that his supposed family, friends, and wife (all actors in the show) have been lying to him. Truman's suspicions grow even larger as he begins to notice strange behaviors in his loved ones. He is completely unaware, as Christof has planned, that he is being brainwashed from trying to explore and escape his sheltered home of Seahaven. For the 30 years he has lived in his home, Truman has never been truly given any choices in life, as Christof has already predetermined every detail of how Truman's life will turn out. However, Truman's dreams and memories are the only thing that Christof has failed to completely control. While he fails to act on these dreams, Truman still has hopes of a better life which prevent him from being truly happy in this paradise that was built for him. The one memory of his that hints to the truth of his existence is his first meeting with Sylvia (Lauren in the show). Since Christof has determined who Truman's wife will be, he interferes with this meeting and, as a response, Sylvia attempts to reveal the truth to Truman. Because of these events, Truman harbors feelings of confusion and anger throughout his life concerning whether he is truly in control of his destiny.
At one point of the film, Truman eventually becomes convinced that something is wrong with his life. With the reappearance of his father and the lingering memory of the encounter with his first love Sylvia, Truman feels unsure whether he can trust anyone anymore. He begins to act rashly, nearly endangering his and his wife's lives by trying to escape in his car. In this instance, Truman does begin to make choices for himself, but his efforts are all for naught. What is different about these choices is that he is not in his right mind while he makes them. He is irrationally acting out his own frustrations from realizing that his whole world might be turning against him. Truman's decision to finally act on his dreams shows his growth as a character. However, his true growth is shown when he decides to act out his greatest dream, which he has been to escape and explore the rest of the world.
The issue of choice manifests itself to its fullest at the climactic ending of the movie, where Truman finally learns the truth about his life when trying to escape. Truman discovers that his world is completely false and when accepting defeat, he coincidentally finds the exit to this prison he has called home for 30 years. In the clip below, Truman is finally confronted by Christof (who in this clip, almost seems like a God himself) and is presented with the choice to either stay in this life, or go out into the real world. Christof attempts to persuade him to remain in his home, convincing him that he is more secure here than he ever would be out there, even if all that security is a complete lie. What makes this movie a true example of existentialist film is the fact that Truman finally decides for himself right at the end. By deciding to leave, Truman has broken free from the influence of Christof and has finally decided to make his own choices in life. Truman finally becomes the master of his own destiny by saying one simple line: "In case I don't see you... good afternoon, good evening, and good night". His choice to finally escape the prison he has called his life is indicative of the evolution of his character. The Truman Show shows how a character can grow and evolve to making choices on his own from a sheltered and controlled life and for Truman Burbank, he is able to finally realize his purpose in life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o5APFI6kH0
PART II. Donnie Darko: Allies and Foes in the Existentialist Quest
Character- character and choice. Donnie Darko presents unbelievable portraits of character- each propelling the present forward until all these forces collide to create tragedy. Tragedy that Donnie chooses to undo through his own suicide (for lack of a better word).
And each one of these characters has a distinct relationship with existentialism that leads to this collision, which I will discuss in this post. I think that each character certainly has their own plight in self-discovery, more so than in the average Hollywood story. We can think of all these paths as all winding up in their own tragedy- which Donnie undoes. He prevents the deaths of four main characters (his mom, sister, Gretchen, and even Frank), but also the firing of the English Teacher, and the arrest of Jim Cunningham. The final video montage of the movie shows each character is given the opportunity to start over, since all of their actions in the film thus-far have been erased by Donnie's suicide, and choose better actions. This is the opportunity of choice to become a new character entirely, a character that Donnie and we as the audience will never come to know. (See this montage after Donnie's suicide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=327eOJubvbA)
I must start with Frank- he is the most obvious guide and only interacts with Donnie (until time catches up and he is revealed as an average high school student). However, for the majority of the film, Frank is actually the giant bunny that helps Donnie realize his capability of choice- the choice to change the past (the present? the future? time gets jumbled.) In one scene in his bathroom, Donnie questions why/how Frank is able to travel through time with a bubble around him, free from external danger. "I can do anything I want. So can you," Frank responds. (See this scene! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgRhza1gFC4&feature=related). This reveals Frank is not just the freaky rabbit he appears to be, who forces Donnie to commit atrocities. He is there to help Donnie realize it is all up to him and him alone.
Beyond Frank, there are two characters who provide Donnie with existential advice, using time travel as the background for conversation: The Science Teacher and Roberta Sparrow (Grandma Death). They both help Donnie explore the ideas of time travel, for instance through the translucent worm paths that open that come from our chests, showing our next motions. Donnie interprets these as a manifestation of each person's individual Fate, as it reveals our direct futures. The Science Teacher helps Donnie realize that life is not, however, predetermined because Donnie is able to see his path in front of him, so he is also able to choose to follow it. Therefore, by choosing to follow his so-called fate, it is no longer fate. Donnie says dismally, "If God controls time, then everything is predetermined." Science Teacher responds thoughtfully (existentially), "You're contradicting yourself. If we are able to see our destinies manifested visually, we would be given a CHOICE to betrays those destinies." While the audience might be having doubts along with Donnie, the Science Teacher addresses our dilemma and sets the film back on its existentialist track even when Donnie is able to see his future.
Another mentor in school is actually the Science Teacher's wife: the English Teacher. The English Teacher is somewhat unconventional in her ways, as you can see when she sets up Donnie with his girlfriend. Gretchen is new to town, and new to the English class- the English Teacher asks her to "Sit next to the boy you think is the cutest," which sparks some ruckus, then she says, "Quiet. Let her CHOOSE!" So the English Teacher empowers Gretchen to make a choice- a choice to enter this relationship that becomes of central importance to the coming-of-age aspect of the movie, but also the existentialist question (the two, clearly, are closely related).
This same English Teacher also introduces a short story - The Destructors by Graham Greene- that helps reflect the movie itself. The story depicts the destruction of an old historic mansion at the hands of a young gang of boys, the leader of the pack's "plan had been with him all his life," but it "crystallized with the pain of puberty." Donnie's analysis of the movie, during his comment in class, puts this piece of literature in the context of his Donnie's life (and death): "Destruction is a form of creation... They just wanted to see what happened when they tore the world apart. They wanted to change things." Besides providing Donnie with an apparent inspiration to defile the school (he busts a water pipe like in the story), the short story resonates with Donnie's development throughout the movie. (For more on Graham Greene's short story, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Destructors)
Such a controversial short story, however, is banned from school during a PTA meeting, in which the conservative gym teacher Mrs. Farmer launches a diatribe against subversive, violent literature in the curriculum. Mrs. Farmer helps the English Teacher get fired too. The English Teacher's last words at school are, "We are losing them[ [the students] to apathy, to prescribed nonsense." This conflict begins to set the stage for a battle of existentialist and anti-existentialist forces. (This link shows Mrs. Farmer (left) and the English Teacher (right): http://www.newmarketfilms.com/uploads/images/darko_1b.jpg).
Mrs. Farmer becomes a more blatant enemy to existentialism as she preaches the ego-perfection self-help doctrine of local inspirational figure Jim Cunningham. This self-help philosophy claims that all that matters is the motivation behind action- all motivation falls on a spectrum of fear to love. Donnie will have none of this, and gets into some trouble with Mrs. Farmer over it. Mrs. Farmer fittingly warns his parents: "Pray your son doesn't succumb to the path of fear." (Face-off with Mrs. Farmer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFoJ6XNeKOI&feature=related)). Mrs. Farmer may be misguided and ignorant, but Jim Cunningham himself presents the face of evil in Donnie Darko. Donnie, who becomes our go-to existentialist, has his own showdown with Cunningham during his Fear-Love lifeline presentation at school. Donnie walks up to the microphone set up in the audience, as if he is about to ask a question, but instead addresses the other students who have just asked Cunningham for advice. One of the students asked Jim Cunningham how to help her sister lose weight. Donnie steals the stage and defiantly (existentially) responds with: "If your sister wants to lose weight, tell her to get off the couch and stop eating twinkies," he then addresses Cunningham himself, "I think you're the fucking antichrist."
So the film obviously ridicules the concept of self-help doctrines, as Donnie soon reveals Jim Cunningham to be a troubled pervert who runs a child pornography ring out of his home. Thus a man who preaches so much about motivation, fear, and love, has absolutely no moral character himself. He is indeed the antichrist, the existential antichrist. Maybe Donnie is our existentialist Christ. (Great scene! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3hXKdTmRs)
Rosie
And each one of these characters has a distinct relationship with existentialism that leads to this collision, which I will discuss in this post. I think that each character certainly has their own plight in self-discovery, more so than in the average Hollywood story. We can think of all these paths as all winding up in their own tragedy- which Donnie undoes. He prevents the deaths of four main characters (his mom, sister, Gretchen, and even Frank), but also the firing of the English Teacher, and the arrest of Jim Cunningham. The final video montage of the movie shows each character is given the opportunity to start over, since all of their actions in the film thus-far have been erased by Donnie's suicide, and choose better actions. This is the opportunity of choice to become a new character entirely, a character that Donnie and we as the audience will never come to know. (See this montage after Donnie's suicide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=327eOJubvbA)
I must start with Frank- he is the most obvious guide and only interacts with Donnie (until time catches up and he is revealed as an average high school student). However, for the majority of the film, Frank is actually the giant bunny that helps Donnie realize his capability of choice- the choice to change the past (the present? the future? time gets jumbled.) In one scene in his bathroom, Donnie questions why/how Frank is able to travel through time with a bubble around him, free from external danger. "I can do anything I want. So can you," Frank responds. (See this scene! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgRhza1gFC4&feature=related). This reveals Frank is not just the freaky rabbit he appears to be, who forces Donnie to commit atrocities. He is there to help Donnie realize it is all up to him and him alone.
Beyond Frank, there are two characters who provide Donnie with existential advice, using time travel as the background for conversation: The Science Teacher and Roberta Sparrow (Grandma Death). They both help Donnie explore the ideas of time travel, for instance through the translucent worm paths that open that come from our chests, showing our next motions. Donnie interprets these as a manifestation of each person's individual Fate, as it reveals our direct futures. The Science Teacher helps Donnie realize that life is not, however, predetermined because Donnie is able to see his path in front of him, so he is also able to choose to follow it. Therefore, by choosing to follow his so-called fate, it is no longer fate. Donnie says dismally, "If God controls time, then everything is predetermined." Science Teacher responds thoughtfully (existentially), "You're contradicting yourself. If we are able to see our destinies manifested visually, we would be given a CHOICE to betrays those destinies." While the audience might be having doubts along with Donnie, the Science Teacher addresses our dilemma and sets the film back on its existentialist track even when Donnie is able to see his future.
Another mentor in school is actually the Science Teacher's wife: the English Teacher. The English Teacher is somewhat unconventional in her ways, as you can see when she sets up Donnie with his girlfriend. Gretchen is new to town, and new to the English class- the English Teacher asks her to "Sit next to the boy you think is the cutest," which sparks some ruckus, then she says, "Quiet. Let her CHOOSE!" So the English Teacher empowers Gretchen to make a choice- a choice to enter this relationship that becomes of central importance to the coming-of-age aspect of the movie, but also the existentialist question (the two, clearly, are closely related).
This same English Teacher also introduces a short story - The Destructors by Graham Greene- that helps reflect the movie itself. The story depicts the destruction of an old historic mansion at the hands of a young gang of boys, the leader of the pack's "plan had been with him all his life," but it "crystallized with the pain of puberty." Donnie's analysis of the movie, during his comment in class, puts this piece of literature in the context of his Donnie's life (and death): "Destruction is a form of creation... They just wanted to see what happened when they tore the world apart. They wanted to change things." Besides providing Donnie with an apparent inspiration to defile the school (he busts a water pipe like in the story), the short story resonates with Donnie's development throughout the movie. (For more on Graham Greene's short story, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Destructors)
Such a controversial short story, however, is banned from school during a PTA meeting, in which the conservative gym teacher Mrs. Farmer launches a diatribe against subversive, violent literature in the curriculum. Mrs. Farmer helps the English Teacher get fired too. The English Teacher's last words at school are, "We are losing them[ [the students] to apathy, to prescribed nonsense." This conflict begins to set the stage for a battle of existentialist and anti-existentialist forces. (This link shows Mrs. Farmer (left) and the English Teacher (right): http://www.newmarketfilms.com/uploads/images/darko_1b.jpg).
Mrs. Farmer becomes a more blatant enemy to existentialism as she preaches the ego-perfection self-help doctrine of local inspirational figure Jim Cunningham. This self-help philosophy claims that all that matters is the motivation behind action- all motivation falls on a spectrum of fear to love. Donnie will have none of this, and gets into some trouble with Mrs. Farmer over it. Mrs. Farmer fittingly warns his parents: "Pray your son doesn't succumb to the path of fear." (Face-off with Mrs. Farmer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFoJ6XNeKOI&feature=related)). Mrs. Farmer may be misguided and ignorant, but Jim Cunningham himself presents the face of evil in Donnie Darko. Donnie, who becomes our go-to existentialist, has his own showdown with Cunningham during his Fear-Love lifeline presentation at school. Donnie walks up to the microphone set up in the audience, as if he is about to ask a question, but instead addresses the other students who have just asked Cunningham for advice. One of the students asked Jim Cunningham how to help her sister lose weight. Donnie steals the stage and defiantly (existentially) responds with: "If your sister wants to lose weight, tell her to get off the couch and stop eating twinkies," he then addresses Cunningham himself, "I think you're the fucking antichrist."
So the film obviously ridicules the concept of self-help doctrines, as Donnie soon reveals Jim Cunningham to be a troubled pervert who runs a child pornography ring out of his home. Thus a man who preaches so much about motivation, fear, and love, has absolutely no moral character himself. He is indeed the antichrist, the existential antichrist. Maybe Donnie is our existentialist Christ. (Great scene! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3hXKdTmRs)
Rosie
The Matrix
The matrix trilogy
-Erik Helleren
what makes this post-apocalyptic, action movie a movie about choice? According to the movie itself, the matrix is a complex equation, and equation that dictates every day events; however, the antagonists, the machines, can neither solve for nor compensate for a singular variable: the burden of choice. The creator of the construct itself admits that he has failed to compensate for choice many times before, and, as a result, the Matrix failed a total of 6 times before. It was the simple fact that humanity has the burden of choice that prevented the antagonists from reaching ultimate goal.
Throughout the movie, the characters are presented with choices that effect the ultimate outcome of the movie. The first and arguably the most important choice is Neo's simple choice of wither or not to follow a woman with a white rabbit tattoo. This could be easily conceived as the most important choice that Neo makes in that if he choses to not follow this woman the entirety of the trilogy would not happen; however, due to Neo's desire to quell his curiosity, he choses to follow this woman. This choice, not to spoil the trilogy, leads to his suffering and, ultimately, to his death. Yet, it is not this choice alone that is the source of his suffering, it is but one of the several stepping stones that lead to the ultimate consequence. The next major choice that Neo is confronted with is the most iconic moment in the first movie. Neo is presented two pills, a red pill and a blue pill (video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arcJksDgCOU). He is told that the red pill will allow him to see 'how deep the rabbit whole goes', while, with the blue pill, he will wake up the next day and believe whatever he wants to believe. Here the two choices are quite clear, take the red pill and you will receive knowledge along its consequences, take the blue pill and you get nothing except a good nights sleep. Either way, his choice is final. Neo makes the choice to take the red pill with its consequences. As a result, he is catapulted out of the matrix and into a body of water where deceased people are dumped. He quickly finds himself drowning but is rescued just in time. As a direct result of his choice, he learns the fate of man kind on Earth and exactly what the matrix is: a giant power plant. He finds it difficult to cope with this new knowledge and goes into a fit of rage which quickly subsides.
The Matrix itself is used to showcase choice. This is because everything in the matrix is, to some extend, limited by the preconceived notions of the individual user. This is initially brought up during the initial fight scene between Neo and Morpheus. Morpheus probes Noe after a considerable length of the fight after Neo has yet to hit him. Morpheus questions Neo until he understands that the Matrix is just as limited by the users as the Matrix itself. In essence all Neo must do is chose to believe in his own ability and he will be capable of whatever he wants. This is further exemplified when Neo is instructed to leap across the gap between two buildings. He fails only because he chose to doubt himself. In other words, the impossible is only impossible because one choses to think that it is impossible. Thus the only constraint what you are capable of is your choices, an essential existential ideal.
There is a very difference between classical existentialism and that presented in the Matrix. As far as the facts I can glean from Sartre's essays and play “No Exit,” choice is a spontaneous thing that is a byproduct of sentient beings (if not the deffiniton itself); however, that choice is made in the moment, consciously and actively by the chooser. With that comes the 'burden of choice” which is that your choice to make and that choice effects the entire human condition. The major difference between this and the existential ideas presented in the Matrix is understanding. The Oracle, one of the major philosophical characters in the movie says this to Neo: “You didn't come here to make a choice, you've already made it. You're here to try to understand why you made it”(Matrix: reloaded). This clearly implies that choice is not instantaneous but rather choices are made up before the 'moment of truth' when we finally understand our choice. This is when we 'finalize' our choice by acting out that choice, yet this finalization is well before we act out our choice, sometimes before we even know we even have a choice to make. The best example is executed during the second movie; however the choice itself was made in the first. Neo and Trinity fall deeply in love and as a result are will to make sacrifices for each other. A choice has been made here: Neo would sacrifice anything to protect Trinity. During the second movie, Neo is 'given' the choice to either serve his purpose, ending his life for the salvation of humanity, or to save Trinity's life. Neo is not given a choice here, he is just given understanding. Yet, even with this fundamental change in the workings of this existentialism, the remainder of the classical ideals remain intact in that the chooser still has a significant burden and he must live, or die, with the consequences. Neo's ultimate choice to truly save humanity from the Matrix and the Machines comes at a very steep price: he losses first his love and then himself. The last movie in the trilogy ends with both Trinity's and Neo's death for the salvation of millions: a sacrifice they both choose to make.
Just looking thought one of the many characters that display choice, we can clearly see that, the Matrix is quite possibly the most existentialistic movie of our time. Yet it does much more than just agree with old ideas, it presents new ones, further critiquing the formula of choice. Yet, at the same time, these movies present the idea that choice cannot be quantified, it can not be accounted for, and, most importantly, it is what separates us from the machines. It is what makes us human, because without choice, what are we?
Part I. Who are you, Donnie Darko? (The Beginning)
I'll begin at the beginning (if I can find one), so you might have some idea what the movie is about.
It is dawn. The adolescent boy wakes up next to his bike on a wet strip of road, and he looks out over the green mountains. He looks confused.. We are too.. Who is this kid and what is he doing here?
As he mounts the bicycle, we begin to realize who he is -- or so we think. He rides into the average suburb we know too well, enters an average house with a normal family- the energetic little sister, intellectual/rebellious big sister, clean-cut dad and protective, worried mother. A magnetic board on the fridge reads, "Where is Donnie?"
"What happened to my son? Where do you go at night?" Mom asks and asks. And just when we begin to get smug (We know! He spent the night on that mountain road!), we are suddenly flooded with more questions-- the mystery ensues as night falls again. The chilling voice awakens Donnie, "28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. That is when the world will end." The voice belongs to a grotesque grey bunny that stands across the street on two legs. We learn the creature's name is Frank. Well, this is creepy.
All seems pretty well, though, when we see that Frank has apparently saved Donnie- saved him from a rogue jet engine that falls into his room and would have crushed him-- that is, if Frank had not woke him and forced him to sleepwalk to a nearby golf course that night.
It seems it's all meant to be: Donnie has been saved, how LUCKY he was not in his bedroom when that plane crashed. Now there is no need for further questioning. Except- where did the jet engine come from?
(SPOILER ALERT): It comes from the future, from a plane carrying his mother and little sister that incidentally enters a time portal. However, Donnie is able to erase a series of horrific events (including the plane crash itself) if he allows the jet engine to crush him when time comes full circle. Which he does.
As this post is mostly an introduction to Donnie Darko, get a feeling for this movie from this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR91Rj1ZN1M
It is the music video of the theme song and includes a video montage of the film. One comment on the video is "It's about learning to accept your fate." I wholeheartedly disagree: this dark thriller is a twisted coming of age story, but also a deeply existentialist film. For the movie traces Donnie's self-discovery up until his final, defining act: his self-sacrifice for his loved ones.
Donnie Darko explores our original question (the most important, existentialist one): Who is Donnie Darko and what will he choose to do?
Rosie
Rosie
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