Art Word of the Week: Surrealism
As we had five movies to choose from, my movie choice for the week was Donnie Darko. We were told to watch an ‘art film’ with our peers and then discuss the film in any way we saw fit. It was somewhat easy for me to choose this film, as I had never watched it before this viewing. I have seen two of the movies on the list but decided I wanted to watch a film that was new and fresh to me and that I could critique with a clean slate.
Although I have heard of this film before I was unsure of the plot line and did not really know what to expect. However, after watching the trailer of the film in class I was further intrigued and interested in what this movie would bring to the table.
Donnie Darko is an extremely dark and twisted film about a teenage boy who is very troubled and hears voices regularly and has hallucinations of an awfully scary looking rabbit who he calls Frank. His friend Frank tells him to do things - bad things – that hurt destroy things and hurt others around him. Throughout the film, Donnie struggles with the voices that he hears from Frank, his family and the new girl that he is interested in, Gretchen. He goes back and forth with trying to work through his problems and as the movie progresses we quickly learn that he is being told something very important by the bunny and that he needs to make some changes in order for things to go a different way...
Everyone that I spoke to about this film seemed to have different opinions and ideas about what may or may not have happened, which allows people’s perspectives to be a very prominent aspect the discussion. Everyone has their own ideas and beliefs about everything that occurs around them, which allows people to have their own perspectives. To me, though, it seems pretty obvious about what happens at the end of the film or perhaps what the movie makers’ message is that they are trying to get across to the audience. But others may interpret the plot another way because of what they personally believe or how they see things in the world.
Another way of looking at this film is saying it is surrealism, which is “creating a magical, dreamlike world that is more intense than reality” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 204). This film definitely shows “dreams images, fantasies and the subconscious are chosen as subject matter and portrayed either realistically or abstractly” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 204).Donnie Darko is a dark and twisted film that really makes you think deeply about the meaning and what is really happening or not happening.
Donnie Darko, to me, is definitely surreal as it leaves the audience to interpret it their own way and what was really happening and why. Everyone has their own perspectives about this film but it unquestionably gives the viewers a great deal of information an plot lines to think about and digest in order to decipher what the final conclusions for the characters and the story line is. I was pleased with this film and is allowed me to think in depth about all aspects and at the same time, kept me entertained, thinking how things were happening and wondering why everything was happening.
For myself and peers, this film was entertaining and interesting and finally decided that it has the makings to be called an 'art film'.
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J. E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
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