Richard Kelly: Does He Even Have Another Film?

This is just the basic overview from the Internet Movie Data Base. It contains links to information about Richard Kelly's two shorts The Goodbye Place, and Visceral Matter. It also gives an idea of some of Kelly's achievements and other (more known) films: Donnie Darko, the upcoming release Southland Tales, and the film (currently in pre-production) The Box.


Southland Tales received almost no acclaim at Cannes when it was introduced and viewers commented on IMDB.com that it was "the greatest movie never seen." According to this one viewer, and other reviews I have read, the film tanked it and was a huge failure; trying to copy Donnie Darko but missing every beat of Donnie completely. The other clips I've included are some from Donnie Darko and from Southland Tales.

A Case Study of Donnie Darko,Analysing Interpretations and its Cult Status

Matthew Kenneth Bishop takes his time analysis the very complex and twisted movie Donnie Darko. He makes many claims as to a certian and peticular genre that he would classify and eventually the film, Donnie Darko. Bishop aslo takes time to refrence a historical and poliical aspect of the film; the 1988 United States Presidential Election. somehow he convincely categorizes the mere refrence in the film as hopeful act to add depth to the chracters of the story. The following qoutes, I feel, play a significant role in both this writng and as well as in my final paper and most defintely plays a key role in the understanding of the six methods of analysis. A Case Study of Donnie Darko,Analysing Interpretations and its Cult Status is a bold dissertation on the logic of Donnie Darko.


"This time setting also lends itself well to the narrative, as Kelly uses a number of popular cultural references that add a further level of depth to the characters. The political debate within the Darko household separates Elizabeth from her father.
This paints her in a rebellious, yet not extreme, light with her support for
Dukukis lacking solid political argument, seeming to exist just to bait her father
who is supporting Bush."

"It is interesting to note also the genre that Donnie Darko would fit into. This is a difficult film to categorise by genre as it contains elements of so many, all of which help contribute to its complex meanings and difficulty interpreting it. It can be seen as a teen rite of passage film, with Donnie trying to understand his life, embarking on what is essentially a journey of discovery, not dissimilar from the journey of Brad and Jane in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The romantic element between Donnie and Gretchen, and the science fiction elements are prominent. There is also an addition of horror genre, not least, as it is set around Halloween, which allows Frank’s image to fit in well with the season. The twisted rabbit mask could be
something straight out of a horror set piece. Coupled with the deranged look of Jake Gyllenhaal after speaking to Frank, it is harrowing after seeing some comedy scenes, such as the discussion about the sexual appetites of the Smurfs(another 80s popular cultural reference). This variety of different genres becomes a key factor in the analysis of Donnie Darko as a cult film, as the multi-faceted genres can be seen as a key attribute of cult status."

Historical Events in Donnie Darko

The unique film Donnie Darko takes place in the year 1988. This particular year had a lot of relevance on our country's political history. The year of 1988 was when the Bush vs. Dukakis election campaign took place.
Nicholas Katers, the author of the article "Election of 1988:Bush, Dukakis, and the Liberal Democratic Failure," is a history graduate and has published work in published in SEAC's Threshold magazine, Generationvote.com, Internationalist Magazine, and ten academic works. This particular article was published on www.associatedcontent.com, which is a site for various types of media.
The election campaign of Bush vs. Dukakis not only took place in the time period that Donnie Darko is set in, but there is a scene in the movie where Mr. Darko, Donnie's father, is watching the election campaign debate on television. Even though this is the only scene that visually displays the Bush vs. Dukakis election campaign, the film sends a message about the politics of 1988.
The article, "Election of 1988:Bush, Dukakis, and the Liberal Democratic Failure," discusses the conflict and hostility that was present throughout the fight for presidency. Nicholas Katers states that

"Bush, no stranger to negative campaigning, took every opportunity to discredit Dukakis as a dangerous and radical liberal."

Bush played a very competitive role in order to win the position of presidency. According to the opinion of Nicholas Katers

"Dukakis attempted to play the role of patriot by riding in a tank but he looked more like a little boy playing general than a potential commander in chief. Dukakis’ attempt to walk the line between liberals... and moderates...failed to get the party out from under the popularity of the Reagan-Bush administration."

This article displays how rough the competition was for the presidency.
The fact that the movie included the campaign shows how relevant this election was for the time period of the film. Donnie Darko uses symbolism to express views of our country's political state and redefines what it means to be Left. The film expresses a low opinion for the democrats and does not approve of the Dukakis candidate.

Donnie Darko - Ideology

Donnie: "I could spend my whole life debating over and over again, weighing the pros and cons, and in the end I still wouldn't have any proof, so I just don't debate it any more. (laughs) It's absurd."

Dr. Thurman: "The search for God is absurd?"

Donnie: "It is if everyone dies alone."

The link I provided is an extensive crtical/ideological analysis of the movie Donnie Darko. Lawrence Person takes his time analyzing the film's many different chracteristics. lawrence touches on ideas of the philosophy of time travel and the tangent universe carelessly labeling it as "wacky shit." Lawrence states that Tangent universes are inherently unstable, lasting only "a matter of weeks," eventually collapsing in upon themselves, each one "forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence. it seems that lawrence feels that the values represented in this scifi thriller are ones of uncertainty and life is merly useless and boring.

Lawrence Person's short fiction and poetry has appeared in Asimov's, Analog, Fear!, and the anthologies Alternate Presidents and Horrors! 365 Scary Stories. He edits the Hugo-nominated critical magazine Nova Express.

"Donnie Darko, Perfect Example of a 'Cult' Movie"

This article that provides its personal opinion of the film Donnie Darko was found on FutureMoives.com and was written by Nik Huggins. It exemplifies the meaning of what it means to be a cult film. This movie was unpopular and remained unnoticed while it appeared in theaters. However, when the movie was released it began to become a favorite for many viewers. Donnie Darko contains a universal message that uniquely displays the truth of human behavior. Moreover, the film portrays the truth of America's youth. Nick Huggins states,

..it is a film that I believe many viewers will come to cherish as thoughtful, imaginative and moving with a good smattering of the perfect elements that will endear it to a cinema-goer. One specifically who is drawn to a film that stimulates both intellectually and visually, and leaves a lasting emotional mark through its articulation of a number of highly topical themes.

I believe what distinguishes Donnie Darko from other films is how the character of Donnie is portrayed. He is not portrayed as the teenage character that is so typical in many American films.
The themes and events that take place throughout the plot of the film border between abnormal and normal; however, the symbolism and metaphors that these events produce exemplify a deeper meaning that audiences can relate to, such that of fate and of supernatural powers that are much greater than him.

What the Hell is Spinoza's Stone? Donnie Darko Relates?

This article is the only known location of an article by Peter Mathews, Spinoza's Stone: The Logic of Donnie Darko. New views of the film are dicussed, with themes related to Alice in Wonderland, Faust, and Schrodinger. In the end the film is divided into many sets of two extremes. Life and Death, Dukakis vs. Bush, and Fear vs. Love. Donnies main theme is that he breaks away from the mold, breaks away from the two extremes; to Donnie, there is so much more. But in the end, Donnie gets stuck in the mold of two extremes. Basically, the film can be viewed as "Spinoza's Stone".

"Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far as it can, to continue to move. Such a stone, being conscious merely of its own endeavor and not at all indifferent, would believe itself to be completely free, and would think that it continued in motion solely because of its own wish. This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined.

--Spinoza, Letter to G.H. Schaller (October 1674)"

Mathews' article appeared in the September 2005 publication of
Post Script Magazine.