The movie Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly and released to audiences nationwide in 2001, portrays the story of a troubled teenager, Donnie Darko, who is plagued by visions of a giant bunny rabbit, Frank, that persuades Darko to carry out a series of crimes and in the process unearth the perplexing physical and metaphysical laws that govern his life and the world around him. The opening credits of the movie, with white words on a black background and an audio bridge of thunderstorm over the text, create a very grim imagery for the viewer and gives the audience a glimpse of the relatively dark theme that pervades the movie. In the opening sequence, dim lighting is used with shades of blue and violet to depict the break of dawn
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This somewhat peculiar shot captures the sadness to his character, emphasizes his loneliness, and creates a mysterious image of the protagonist in the eyes of the audience who have yet to learn about the character in the frame. The camera now completely focuses on Darko as he awakes from his sleep, just as much confused as the viewer as to why he is where he is. Long takes are continuously used in the scene to further add mystery and confusion to the atmosphere. The lighting slowly starts to get a lot brighter as the camera focuses in on Darko as he smiles when he figures out why he is there, while the audience remains clueless. The soft, brighter colors are to contrast or express how Darko feels in that single shot. Darko now moves out of the frame and the title fades in along with the sound of thunder perhaps to give the audience a sense that Darko is a disturbed character. A blinding flash fills the screen possibly signifying a new beginning, or atleast a better day, as Darko is now seen riding his bike down a hill with the song “The Killing Moon” playing in the back. The scene finishes when Darko reaches back home and the song ends with the lyrics “fate, up against your will; he will wait until you give yourself to him” signifying, as we later see in the movie, that Darko must face up to his
This somewhat peculiar shot captures the sadness to his character, emphasizes his loneliness, and creates a mysterious image of the protagonist in the eyes of the audience who have yet to learn about the character in the frame. The camera now completely focuses on Darko as he awakes from his sleep, just as much confused as the viewer as to why he is where he is. Long takes are continuously used in the scene to further add mystery and confusion to the atmosphere. The lighting slowly starts to get a lot brighter as the camera focuses in on Darko as he smiles when he figures out why he is there, while the audience remains clueless. The soft, brighter colors are to contrast or express how Darko feels in that single shot. Darko now moves out of the frame and the title fades in along with the sound of thunder perhaps to give the audience a sense that Darko is a disturbed character. A blinding flash fills the screen possibly signifying a new beginning, or atleast a better day, as Darko is now seen riding his bike down a hill with the song “The Killing Moon” playing in the back. The scene finishes when Darko reaches back home and the song ends with the lyrics “fate, up against your will; he will wait until you give yourself to him” signifying, as we later see in the movie, that Darko must face up to his