Great Character: Frank (“Donnie Darko”)
With Halloween approaching, our theme this month is Supernatural Characters. Today in his regular weekly guest post, Jason Cuthbert looks at Frank in the 2001 movie Donnie Darko, written by Richard Kelly.
Time Travel. Alternate Universes. Futuristic Premonitions. All of these science fiction staples pin down the already emotionally stifled16-year old Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) into a version of reality that resembles a reoccurring, wet-the-bed nightmare. But aside from sudden sci-fi super powers, ball-busting bullies and rebellious urges, adolescence gets even weirder for Donald when an ominous 6-foot slasher movie mask bunny named Frank is guiding Donnie’s comic book capabilities. This is not the stand-up comedy-style of fictitious cottontails like Bugs Bunny or Roger Rabbit. This hare could care less about carrot sticks and Easter baskets. He’d rather save Darko’s life, only to control it in return.
Donnie Darko from IMDB:
A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.
Get ready to be inspired by a filmmaking accomplishment that seems like it could come from the same advanced alternate universe as the story its telling. The post-USC film school graduate Richard Kelly, the Donnie Darko screenwriter and director, made his Darko debut at the youthful age of 25. That’s like infancy in Hollywood director years. But this exceptional start gets even better. Richard Kelly also handcrafted the complex Courier font blueprint for this mindboggling, ambitious cult classic in about a month and a half. Yes…in like 40% of a standard college semester.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC0BmFskCPE
With Drew Barrymore on board in an acting as well as producing capacity with her partner Nancy Juvonen via their Flower Films banner, Richard Kelly’s creation gained the budget and Hollywood clout to entice name brand casting to embark on Darko’s dark voyage with Frank, the furry source of peer pressure. This odd juxtaposition of a usually harmless bunny character jacked up with a demented demeanor and powers of persuasion made for an iconically haunting supernatural character. How often has a movie dude in a Halloween costume on screen also become a popular Halloween costume off screen? Sure, Frank was designed as a hellish hopper making his mark in the weeks leading up to Halloween night. But let’s be clear, Richard Kelly also gave actor James Duval devilishly disturbing dialogue that cuts past the common overly operatic fright night creeper chatter. The aptly named “Frank” uses bold simplicity to bare his soul.
FRANK: 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. That is when the world will end.
Instead of using heavy-handed exposition to bully the innocence out of the unmarked territory of the Donnie Darko script, Richard Kelly confidently makes the audience do the same homework Donnie Darko must do to figure out what the “F” is occurring. Without a systematic origin story for Frank, we are refreshingly forced to just accept the fact that this acid trip looking bunny is spooking the hot meal out of some 1980’s teen. Donnie Darko has the decency to allow us to bring our own assumptions and personal nightmares into interpreting Frank’s purpose. Mentor? Villain? Side Kick? Leader? Psychotic savage? Hallucination? Each of these functions can adequately describe Frank and lead to a valid argument.
DONNIE: Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?
FRANK: Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?
Can Frank be trusted? What is his ultimate incentive? Does Frank despise the disconnected high school authority figures and shameful child molesting “self-help guru” as much as Donnie? One thing is for sure, if we knew the answer to these questions Frank would immediately become way less intimidating. Frank spoon-feeds Donnie, and us the audience, information on an as-need basis. He pushes Donnie towards tackling one diabolical plot at a time — making his master plan progressively more apparent and digestible in the process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXbBlGBoUms
Frank invades Donnie Darko’s mental gray matter, his mirror reflections, his therapy sessions and even his home sweet home. As much of a stalking, stage five-clinger alert as Frank’s visits become, there is another terrifying method to his mania: he also empowers Donnie. This looney tune “wascally wabbit” is not afraid of Donnie spazzing out on him in a vengeful rage to shake the constant paranoia of being forced to commit crimes. Frank actually wants Donnie to know how strong his mortal body has become. Besides, from Frank’s fuzzy standpoint — Donnie Darko’s retaliation would be futile.
FRANK: I can do anything I want. And so can you.
For his unforgettably bizarre bunny regalia, his Twitter-friendly 140 character or less quotables and his hybrid of character archetypes — Frank is one twisted GREAT CHARACTER.
How about this for a character archetypes analysis: It is the jet engine with which Donnie engages in the Final Struggle, therefore why not look at that mechanical ‘beast’ from the heavens as the Nemesis? In the end, Donnie decides to sacrifice himself to the Nemesis in order to save Gretchen (Attractor), a classic example of the Hero giving himself over to something bigger than himself. But how does Donnie come to this fateful decision? Primarily through the work of Frank who dons several masks, shifting from one to the other in his many visitations to Donnie: Nemesis (creating chaos and conflict throughout much of the story), Mentor (insight into the future and as well as Donnie’s eventual purpose), even Attractor (allowing himself to be sacrificed when Donnie shoots him). Frank sounds like the work of a Trickster to me.
Join us in comments for a discussion of this fascinating movie. And thanks once again to Jason! You may follow him on Twitter: @A2Jason.
Comment Archive