Donnie Darko Opening Sequence Analysis

Donnie Darko is a supernatural thriller film based around a teenage boy called Donnie Darko, who has disturbing visions. The opening sequence sets the film up very well, by first showing a figure laying in the road. The first thing we assume by this is that he may have been hit by a car. The camera then begins to move forward towards the figure, and low eerie music begins to play. As the camera gets closer, the figure begins to move and we see a bike laying not so far from him. It becomes apparent that he was just sleeping. This sets up the overall ‘weird’ feeling of the film, because we don’t know why the boy has cycled to here just to go to sleep. There is then a pan of the landscape surrounding the road, which is broken by the boy, who then proceeds to turn around and smirk to himself, knowing something that we don’t. The titles then come up saying the name of the film, ‘Donnie Darko’, along with a very bright light behind it, which flashes up on the whole screen, momentarily making it white. The next shot we see is Donnie riding his bike back down the road. The music also changes to something faster and upbeat. The camera follows the character along the road, and we see him rub sleep from his eyes. The next main show we see is a close up of a sign telling us that its nearly Halloween. The camera still follows Donnie, and we see him ride up to his house. This also introduces the other characters, his dad playfully blowing a leaf blower in his older sisters face, his younger sister jumping on a trampoline, a his mother looking disappointed as he walks by. The final shot we see is Donnie opening his fridge with a note saying ‘Where is Donnie?’ on it. This entire sequence has no spoken words in, other than the ones in the non-diegetic music. The whole opening has a slightly strange feel to it, and the audience isn’t quite sure what has happened. Overall the opening sequence does a very good job of setting the scene, telling us the location, the date, and briefly introducing the other main characters. It also sets up the atmosphere and leaves the audience feeling slightly uneasy.

Written by Jack Warden

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