Deus Ex Machina

Rating: 10/10 (18 April 2007)

At one point in this film, Donnie (superbly played, might I add) utters the phrase, "Deus Ex Machina", literally meaning God Of The Machine, but more closely and familiarly known as "God's Machine". I find this moment wholly... or should I say Holy... interesting considering the layers and layers of spiritual incarnation in the film. Donnie, thanks to a strange 'riff' in time, has been placed directly in the seat of control for God's own machine. He even questions this very idea when talking to his science teacher who immediately dismisses the conversation, supposedly for fear of being fired, but I suspect it is because he is among the manipulated. (For more on that, you need to check out "The Philosophy Of Time Travel", one of the many extra goodies that can be found at the official Donnie Darko website.) A lot of people interpret this film in different ways and rightfully so. It brings the layers of teen angst, spirituality, philosophy, time-travel, the absurdity in life, etc. Some people watch this and see a movie about the relationships of the family, others a kick-ass sci-fi. I prefer to go with somewhere in between all the genres. There is no clear label for it. I can say that the character of Cunningham is extremely interesting in the spiritual sense. Here's a man that, seemingly, has a strong belief system and yet we quickly learn he is quite possibly the most corrupted man in Middlesex. (I know, its a little contrived to have the 'well sorted guy' be the most screwed up, but this is the only role I truly can stand Patrick Swayze... and that's saying something) Donnie struggles to understand the Deus Ex Machina that he is placed in and eventually learns to deal with the jarring and ultimately mind-screwing series of events that have almost conspired against him. (I'm not missing the irony of the term originating in original playwriting as a plot device) I firmly believe that you can tell a lot about someone by how they interpret the end of this film. You'll be left with the repeatedly uttered "Did he know?...Damn it, did he know?" asked to yourself over and over. Its what you finally come to that says a lot about you.