Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko blends psychological thriller, science fiction, teen drama, and metaphysical inquiry into a haunting meditation on time, destiny, and sacrifice. Much like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey , Donnie Darko ends in a way that invites multiple interpretations and rewards repeat viewings. To make sense of the film’s conclusion, we must unpack its surreal narrative structure, symbolic imagery, and underlying theory of time travel. The Premise Set in 1988, the film follows Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled teenager in suburban Virginia, who begins experiencing visions of a grotesque figure in a rabbit suit named Frank. Frank tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. Soon after, Donnie narrowly escapes death when a jet engine crashes into his bedroom—a seemingly impossible event, as no aircraft is reported missing. From that moment on, Donnie begins acting out—flooding his school, burning down the home...