This is the shooting script that was used by the cast and crew during the shooting of the film.
Converted to PDF and contributed by RonCecchini@comcast.net
FADE IN:
We descend upon Carpathian Ridge, a crescent-shaped cliff that extrudes from the dense Virginia evergreens above a deep rock canyon.
The cliff marks the end of a dirt road that winds down from above .
Donnie Darko (sixteen) is asleep at the edge of the cliff. With his bike collapsed next to him, he is shivering, curled up on the foetal position.
He slowly opens his eyes and looks around, disoriented by the morning light. He then stands up, looking down into the expansive rock canyon. After a moment of hesitation, he takes his bike back up the hill.
EXT. MIDDLESEX - MORNING (11 A.M.)
Montage is choreographed to 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS.
Donnie pedals down into the suburban village of Middlesex, Virginia ...passing by a large rock 'Middlesex' rock-pattern.
Donnie pedals past two neighbourhood women who are speedwalking with handweights. They smile at him.
A Pontiac Trans-Am speeds by.
EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - DAY (SATURDAY 1 P.M.)
Donnie turns the corner and heads towards the garage.
We pan over to the Darko house... moving through the front yard where Eddie Darko (forty-four) pulls the cord and his gas-powered leaf-blower roars to life.
Elizabeth Darko (nineteen) comes out the front door. She approaches her dad from behind. Eddie turns and aims the leaf-blower at her face... blasting her with air.
EXT. DARKO DRIVEWAY - NEXT
Donnie parks his bike and goes inside.
EXT. DARKO BACKYARD / PATIO - NEXT
We pull back from Samantha Darko (ten) as she is jumping on a trampoline and pan over to Rose Darko (forty-two) as she sits at a table reading a paperback copy of Stephen King's "IT". She glances over to the kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN - NEXT
Donnie walks into the kitchen. He then goes to the refrigerator .
Printed in magic marker on the refrigerator notepad is the phrase :
WHERE IS DONNIE?
INT. FAMILY ROOM - EVENING (5 P.M.)
The opening theme of "Who's the Boss?" begins as we see Tony Danza's blue van and the title card. We reveal Samantha, sitting on the floor, singing softly to the theme song "Brand New Life" performed by Larry Weiss.
We pan over to Donnie, sitting in the La-Z Boy.
INT. KITCHEN - EVENING (6 P.M.)
The Darko family has convened for dinner. They eat silently for several moments.
ELIZABETH
I'm voting for Dukakis.
EDDIE
Perhaps when you have children of your own that need braces, and you can't afford them because half of your husband's paycheck goes to the federal government, you'll regret that decision.
ELIZABETH
(amused bitterness)
I'm not gonna squeeze one out until I ' m thirty .
DONNIE
Will you still be working at Yarn Barn? 'Cause that's a great place to raise children.
ROSE
No, a year of partying is enough. She'll be going to Harvard this fall.
ELIZABETH
I haven't been accepted yet, mother. ROSE
( smiles )
If you think Michael Dukakis will provide for this country prior to the point when you decide to squeeze one out, then I think you're misinformed .
SAMANTHA
When can I squeeze one out?
DONNIE (to his sister)
Not until like... eighth grade. ROSE
(to Donnie)
Excuse me?
ELIZABETH
Donnie? You're a dick.
DONNIE
Whoa, Elizabeth. A little hostile, there. Maybe you should be the one in therapy. Then Mom and Dad can pay someone two hundred dollars an hour to listen to all of your thoughts... so we won't have to.
ELIZABETH
Maybe you'd like to tell Mom and Dad why you stopped taking your medication .
An awkward silence.
ROSE
(surprised)
You've stopped taking your medication SAMANTHA
When can I squeeze one out, Mom? DONNIE
(glaring at Elizabeth)
You're such a fuck-ass.
ROSE
When did you stop taking your medication?
ELIZABETH
(laughing)
Did you just call me a fuck-ass? ROSE
That's enough.
ELIZABETH (to Donnie)
You can suck a fuck .
DONNIE
Oh, please tell me, Elizabeth, how exactly does one suck a fuck?
ROSE
(disgusted)
We will not have this kind of language at the dinner table .
They are all silent for a moment.
SAMANTHA
What's a fuck-ass?
Despite his brave efforts to hold back laughter, Eddie Darko lets out a slight guffaw.
Donnie is curled up, asleep on the green. A golf ball lands on the green and rolls within inches of his head.
A golf cart filled with four older men arrives. Dr. Fisher (forty-five) gets out first.
DR. FISHER Donnie Darko?
(beat )
Son? What's going on here?
Jim Cunningham (forty) , the man riding shotgun, gets out of the cart and walks over.
JIM CUNNINGHAM Who is it, Don?
DR. FISHER Eddie Darko' s kid.
Donnie gets up and brushes himself off. On his arm he sees something written in black magic marker.
Numbers.... 28:06:42:12.
Donnie stares at the numbers on his arm, confused.
DR. FISHER (CONT'D)
(to Jim, kissing his ass)
Sorry about this, Jim, just a... a kid from the neighbourhood.
(MORE)
9 .
DR. FISHER (CONT'D)
(back to Donnie)
So let's stay off the greens at night,
OK?
Jim Cunningham stares at Donnie with a friendly grin.
DONNIE
Sorry, Dr. Fisher. It won't happen again .
EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET / DARKO HOUSE - MORNING (11 A.M.)
Donnie walks down the street towards his house.
A fire engine. Two police cars. A news van... All parked in front of his house.
There are dozens of neighbours in the street surrounding a barricade. Donnie moves through the crowd where a Police Officer is standing.
DONNIE
Hey, I live here!
POLICE OFFICER Are you... Donnie Darko?
DONNIE
Yeah !
The Officer lets him through.
Near the cul-de-sac there is a large caterpillar crane lifting something from inside the house. There are firemen roaming around. Two Police Officers are speaking with Eddie and Rose.
Donnie looks over at the house.
A crane lifts a gigantic jet engine over from the house towards a large flatbed truck. Firemen kick pieces of wood and shingle from the roof.
He turns and sees his entire family standing there. Eddie is holding Samantha.
SAMANTHA It fell on your room.
EXT. CUL-DE-SAC - LATER ON
Two men in suits approach from a black sedan. A police officer directs them to Rose. One of the men removes a badge from his pocket and holds it up for Rose to see.
MAN
Mrs. Darko, my name is Bob Garland and this is David Coleman. We're with the FAA . If you don't mind, we'd like to speak with you and your husband privately.
Elizabeth looks over at Donnie with a grin.
ELIZABETH
(whispering)
They don't know where it came from.
Donnie looks over in awe as the mammoth engine is now strapped to the flatbed truck. A man in a silver firesuit sprays the engine down with water.
EXT. CUL-DE-SAC - MOMENTS LATER
Eddie is signing some documents in front of Garland at a table that has been set up. Another FAA guy is there.
FAA MAN
(pointing to the document )
And then here as well.
Eddie signs off, and Garland takes the documents.
GARLAND
We've arranged for you to stay at a hotel, get some sleep. We'll take care of things here .
Eddie picks Samantha up into his arms. He stands with Rose and Elizabeth... turning towards Donnie... who seems lost in a trance.
Donnie lies in bed, watching television. Elizabeth is spread out on the other bed. Samantha sits on the edge of Elizabeth's bed, holding a stuffed unicorn named Ariel.
SAMANTHA
If it fell from a plane, then what happened to the plane?
ELIZABETH
They don't know, Samantha.
11 .
SAMANTHA
Is there any way that we can make money from this? Couldn't we get on television if we sue the airline?
INT. HOLIDAY INN, ROOM 615 - NEXT
Rose and Eddie lie awake in the dark.
ROSE
So let me get this straight. No airline will claim ownership of the engine. So we have to wait for the FAA to decide who fixes my roof, (beat )
Fuck that. We're taking the money out of savings .
EDDIE
(quoting Rod Serling)
You are entering a new dimension of sight and sound. . .
Rose begins to laugh.
INT. HOLIDAY INN, ROOM 614 - NEXT
SAMANTHA
Why do I have to sleep with Donnie? He stinks.
DONNIE
When you fall asleep tonight, I'm gonna fart in your face.
SAMANTHA
(walking to the door)
I'm telling Mom.
ELIZABETH
Samantha, don't go over there.
INT. HOLIDAY INN, ROOM 615 - LATER THAT NIGHT
EDDIE
Frankie Feedler.
ROSE
What ?
EDDIE
Frankie Feedler. You remember him from high school?
ROSE
(long beat)
He was a year ahead of us?
EDDIE
He died, remember? On the way to the prom .
(beat )
He was doomed.
Rose lies there silently.
EDDIE (CONT'D)
Jesus Christ. They could have said the same thing about Donnie. Our Donnie .
(beat )
But he dodged it. He dodged his bullet, Rose.
Rose rolls over to embrace him.
EDDIE (CONT'D)
That ' s my boy .
Moments later, the door to the adjoining room opens. It is Samantha .
SAMANTHA
Mom, Donnie said he's gonna fart in my face .
Title card:
OCTOBER 3 1988
EXT. BUS STOP - MORNING (MONDAY MORNING, 7 A.M.)
Rose drops Donnie and Samantha off at the corner.
ROSE
Ms. Farmer will pick you up from recital. Bye, now.
She pulls of in the Taurus.
Already waiting at the bus stop is Joanie James (eleven) .
Also Cherita Chen (fifteen) .
SAMANTHA
Hi, Cherita.
CHERITA
Chut up .
Also there are Donnie's two best friends, Sean Smith (sixteen) and Ronald Fisher (fifteen)
13 .
RONALD
(raising his hands in victory)
DARKO CHEATS DEATH! Man... you're famous! I called you, like, a jillion times last night!
DONNIE
We went to a hotel.
RONALD
My dad said he found you on the golf course. Are you sleepwalking again?
DONNIE
I don't wanna talk about it.
SEAN
Now that you're famous, you gotta have a smoke .
Sean hands Donnie a Marlboro Red and he takes it, looking over at Samantha and Joanie.
DONNIE
What happens if you tell Mom and Dad about this, Samantha?
SAMANTHA
You'll put Ariel in the garbage disposal .
JOANIE
So . . . grody .
Sean, Ronald and Donnie light up. Ronald is the most amateur- looking .
SEAN
Hey, Cherita... want a cigarette? CHERITA
Chut up .
RONALD
(mimicking)
Chut up !
SEAN
Go back to China, bitch!
DONNIE
Leave her alone, man.
Cherita looks over at Donnie... her quiet devastation poorly hidden .
EXT. / INT. MIDDLESEX RIDGE SCHOOL - MORNING (8 A.M.)
The following montage is three long Steadicam shots in the main school hallway and courtyard.
We follow Donnie and his friends as they pour out of the back of the emergency exit of the school bus to 'Head Over Heels' by Tears for Fears.
We pick up teachers Karen Pomeroy (twenty-seven) and Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff (thirty) and Kitty Farmer (forty-two) , with Jim Cunningham, as they make their way through the hallways .
Swarms of girls surround Donnie as he makes his way to his locker. There is a huge smile on his face.
We reveal Gretchen Ross (fifteen) ... we see Principal Cole (thirty-eight) and then Samantha's dance team (Sparkle Motion) practising their routine in the courtyard.
We follow Ms. Pomeroy into English class... then time-lapse dissolve through the doorway...
INT. ENGLISH CLASS - DAY (8:30 A.M.)
Ms. Pomeroy has been reading from "The Destructors" by Graham Greene .
MS. POMEROY
"There would be headlines in the papers . Even the grown-up gangs who ran the betting at the all-in wrestling and the barrow-boys would hear with respect how Old Misery's house had been destroyed. It was as though his plan had been with him all his life, pondered through the seasons, now in his fifteenth year crystallised with the pain of puberty . "
Donnie sits in the front.
MS. POMEROY (CONT'D)
What is Graham Greene trying to communicate in this passage? Why do the children break into Old Misery's house?
Joanie James raises her hand.
MS. POMEROY (CONT'D)
Joanie .
JOANIE
They wanted to rob him.
MS. POMEROY
Joanie, if you had actually read the short story... which, at a whopping thirteen pages must have kept you up all night, you would know that the children find a great deal of money hidden in a mattress. But they burn it .
The class gives an "Awwww. " Joanie blushes.
MS. POMEROY (CONT'D)
Donnie Darko, perhaps, given your recent brush with mass destruction, you can give us your opinion?
DONNIE
Well... they say it right when they are ripping the place to shreds .
When they flood the house. That like... destruction is a form of creation. So the fact that they burn the money is... ironic. They just want to see what happens when they tear the world apart .
(beat )
They want to change things .
Gretchen Ross stands at the doorway to the classroom.
MS. POMEROY May we help you?
GRETCHEN
I just registered, and I think they put me in the wrong English class.
Ms. Pomeroy studies her.
MS. POMEROY
You look like you belong here.
GRETCHEN Umm, where do I sit?
Ms. Pomeroy thinks for a moment. There are several empty chairs .
MS. POMEROY
Sit next to the boy you think is the cutest. Girls, get up.
The whole class begins to freak out. The girls all get out of their seats... eating this up. Ronald fixes his hair.
MS. POMEROY (CONT'D)
Quiet! Let her choose.
16 .
Without hesitation, Gretchen scans the class for every guy. As she gracefully takes her seat next to Donnie, they make eye contact. Donnie grins ear to ear.
The class freaks out laughing.
INT. TAURUS - SUNSET (MONDAY NIGHT, 6 P.M.)
Eddie drives Donnie down Old Gun Road, a windy back-road that goes towards the country.
EDDIE
So how was school today?
DONNIE
It was great. We had peanut-butter sandwiches and apples and honey at snacktime. And then during show-and- tell, my stuffed walrus was a big hit .
EDDIE
Good Lord.
(beat )
So the construction guys say it'll take about a week to fix the roof.
Damn airline better not fuck us on the shingle match.
DONNIE
Do they know yet?
EDDIE
Know what?
DONNIE
Where it came from?
EDDIE
No... apparently they can't tell us what happened yet . Something about a matching serial number that got burned .
(beat )
But I had to sign a form saying I wouldn't talk to anyone about it.
DONNIE
So we're not supposed to tell anybody what nobody knows?
EDDIE
You tell Dr. Thurman whatever you want .
Suddenly, Eddie slams on the brakes and the station wagon comes to a sudden stop.
Oh, shit !
EDDIE (CONT'D)
DONNIE
Grandma Death.
Standing in the road directly in front of the car is Roberta Sparrow (101 years old, a.k.a. Grandma Death) .
Grandma Death lives in a modest brick house that sits back in a huge grassy field that overlooks the entire town. Her mailbox sits on the edge of Old Gun Road.
EXT. OLD GUN ROAD - NEXT
Donnie gets out of the car and takes Grandma Death's hand, walking her back towards her mailbox. He opens it for her.
DONNIE
No mail today.
( smiles )
Maybe tomorrow.
Grandma Death smiles back at him. . . and begins to walk slowly back to her house. She then turns and takes Donnie's hands into her frail grip.
GRANDMA DEATH (speaking slowly)
Every living creature... on this earth . . .
(beat )
. . . dies alone .
Donnie stands there silently for a moment, and then Grandma Death turns back towards her house.
EXT. DR. THURMAN'S RANCH - SUNSET
We see a large colonial rancher in the distance.
INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE - EVENING
Dr. Lilian Thurman (fifty-eight) is a beautiful older woman.
DR. THURMAN
Your mother said that you've been skipping cycles of your medication.
DONNIE
I've been taking it. I just like to make her feel guilty for all of this.
You know, abuse her. Psychologically.
DR. THURMAN
All of this... certainly isn't your mother's fault, Donald.
He is quiet for a moment.
DONNIE
So, I met a new friend.
DR. THURMAN
Would you like to talk about this friend?
DONNIE
His name is Frank.
DR. THURMAN
Frank .
DONNIE
I think he saved my life.
DR. THURMAN
How so?
DONNIE
Don't you watch the news?
DR. THURMAN
I don't own a television.
DONNIE
A jet engine fell on my house. . . landed on my bed. While I was talking to Frank on the golf course.
Dr. Thurman looks at him for a long beat, analysing whether or not he is telling her the truth.
DONNIE (CONT'D)
I'm not kidding.
Concerned, Dr. Thurman leans in closer.
DR. THURMAN
Frank. . . instructed you. . . to get out of bed. . . just before this happened .
DONNIE
He said to follow him.
DR. THURMAN Follow him where?
DONNIE
Into the future.
(beat )
Then he said that the world was coming to an end.
19 .
He rubs his arm, where the numbers are still lightly drawn.
DR. THURMAN
Do you believe that the world is coming to an end?
DONNIE (long beat)
No .
(beat )
That's stupid.
INT. MIDDLESEX RIDGE SCHOOL - HALLWAY
In the empty school hallway... a gigantic tidal wave forms in the distance and comes crashing towards us between the lockers .
INT. FAMILY ROOM - NIGHT (EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, 2 A.M.)
Donnie lies on the couch... fast asleep. His eyes slowly open .
There, standing in the corner of the room in the shadows is Frank .
FRANK
Wake up, Donnie.
INT. MIDDLESEX RIDGE SCHOOL - NIGHT
In the dark school hallway, Donnie rounds the corner with a flashlight, a can of spray paint, and an axe. Frank stands in the same hallway where the tidal wave crashed.
INT. SCHOOL BASEMENT - NEXT
Donnie shines the flashlight through the basement. He approaches some old piping.
Donnie puts the axe back over his shoulder and then lowers it fiercely. The smashing of metal against metal echoes through the huge room.
Title card:
OCTOBER 4 1988
EXT. BUS STOP - MORNING (7:45 A.M.)
The same group stands and waits for the bus. The guys smoke.
Cherita stands alone. Samantha is reading something to Joanie .
20 .
SAMANTHA ( reading)
"And then the prince was led into a world of strange and beautiful magic."
JOAN IE
Wow .
Donnie grabs the piece of paper from his sister.
DONNIE
(reading out loud)
"The Last Unicorn!" By Samantha Darko. SAMANTHA
Donnie! Give it back!
He pushes her away.
SAMANTHA (CONT'D)
You're wrinkling it!
SEAN
Hey, it's 7:45. The bus shoulda been here, like, twenty minutes ago.
RONALD
Maybe Martha Moo finally went nuts and hijacked the bus.
SEAN
(excited)
You know, there's, like, this rule.
We get to go home at 7:55.
RONALD
There's no rule!
SEAN
Fuck yeah there is! If the bus doesn't show up in thirty minutes, you're supposed to go straight home.
DONNIE
Yeah... he's right. Because if we keep waiting, some guy in a van might pull up and try to molest us. And then our parents could sue the school board .
Everyone starts to get excited. . . looking down the road to see if the bus is coming.
Sean's watch hits 7:55. No bus.
SEAN
All right! 7:55. Everybody goes home .
RONALD
Let's go to Donnie's house. His parents are both at work.
The three guys begin walking.
DONNIE
Come on, Sam, you can call Joanie's mom from home.
The two girls follow them. Cherita stands at the corner.
DONNIE (CONT'D)
Hey, Cherita... you should go home.
SEAN
Yeah, if you're still here and the bus comes, we'll get in trouble.
CHERITA
Chut up .
SEAN
Hey, porky pig. I hope you get molested !
Suddenly, Emily Bates (ten) and Susie Bates (eight) run up to the bus stop.
EMILY
Hey! Our mom said that school is cancelled today because it's flooded!
JOAN IE
No . . . way .
A horrible expression appears on Donnie's face.
INT. MIDDLESEX RIDGE SCHOOL - MORNING
A janitor named Leroy (fifty-five) stands at the end of the hall with Principal Cole. Water rushes past their feet down the steps .
LEROY
I got twelve classrooms full of water.
All coming from a busted water main.
What else?
PRINCIPAL COLE
LEROY
What else? Shit, Principal Cole, you ain't gonna believe what else.
EXT. BACK COURTYARD - MORNING
They stand before the bronze Middlesex mongrel. Spray-painted on the concrete before it is the phrase: THEY MADE ME DO IT.
There are papers strewn everywhere. Embedded in the head of the mongrel is an axe.
PRINCIPAL COLE Christ. Is that an axe?
LEROY
Yep.
PRINCIPAL COLE How did this happen?
LEROY
(beat )
I guess they made him do it.
Leroy can't help himself. He has to laugh.
PRINCIPAL COLE You're fired.
Principal Cole walks off.
EXT. BUS STOP 2 - EARLY MORNING (8:15 A.M.)
Donnie, Sean, Ronald, Samantha and Joanie, Emily and Susie walk from their bus stop.
RONALD
School's closed! Everybody go home!
EMILY
Nu-huh .
SAMANTHA
Yeah-huh. A cat burglar broke him and trashed everything.
Susie talks with Emily. Joanie and Samantha listen in.
EMILY
Mom said that the boys ' locker room looked like a swimming pool... and that they found faeces everywhere.
SUSIE
What are faeces?
23 .
EMILY
Baby mice.
SUSIE
Aww.
JOAN IE
Oh my God, that is so grody.
EXT. BUS STOP 3 - NEXT
Sean looks down to another bus stop down the street.
SEAN
School's cancelled!
A bunch of young kids scream out... jumping up and down. EXT. BUS STOP 4 - NEXT
Donnie approaches another corner alone. Ricky Danforth (seventeen) and Seth Devlin (eighteen) stand with Gretchen.
SETH
(smoking a cigarette)
Has anyone ever told you that you're sexy?
RICKY
I like your boobs.
Gretchen looks at them with disgust.
Donnie walks into the group.
DONNIE
Hey . . .
GRETCHEN
Hey . . .
DONNIE
School's cancelled.
They look at one another, surprised.
GRETCHEN (to Donnie)
Wanna walk me home?
DONNIE
Sure .
They guickly begin to walk off. Seth and Ricky look off at them, furious .
24 .
GRETCHEN
Don't look so freaked.
DONNIE
I'm not. But you should check your backpack 'cause those guys like to steal shit .
GRETCHEN
Fuck them.
Gretchen smiles at Donnie, and then turns back and gives them the middle finger.
EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - NEXT (8:30 A.M.)
Donnie and Gretchen walk along the sidewalk together.
DONNIE
So... you just moved here?
GRETCHEN
Yeah. My parents got divorced. My mom has a restraining order against my stepdad.
(beat )
He has... emotional problems.
DONNIE
Oh, I... have those too.
(beat )
What kind of problems does your dad have?
GRETCHEN (long beat)
He stabbed my mom four times in the chest .
Donnie is shocked.
DONNIE
Wow. Did he go to jail?
GRETCHEN
He fled. They still can't find him. (beat )
My mom and I had to change our names and stuff. I thought Gretchen sounded kind of cool.
DONNIE
I'm sorry. I was in jail once.
(beat )
I accidentally burned down this house. It was abandoned.
(MORE)
25 .
DONNIE (CONT'D)
I got held back in school again.
Can't drive until I'm eighteen, (babbling)
I think when I grow up I want to be a painter. Or maybe a writer or maybe both. Then I'll write a book and draw the illustrations like a comic book. You know, change things.
GRETCHEN
Donnie Darko is a cool name. Sounds like a superhero.
DONNIE
What makes you think I'm not? Gretchen smiles. She looks over at her house.
GRETCHEN
I should go. For physics. Monnitoff says I have to write an essay on the greatest invention ever to benefit mankind .
DONNIE
That's easy. Antiseptics. She gives him a look.
DONNIE (CONT'D)
I mean, the whole sanitation thing. Joseph Lister... 1895. Before antiseptics there was no sanitation, especially in medicine.
GRETCHEN You mean soap?
DONNIE
Don't knock soap. Without it, disease would spread rapidly. If we ran out... you and I would never live to see the year 2000.
GRETCHEN
Wonder where we'll be then.
DONNIE
The best thing about soap is that it ' s the only thing on earth that can never get dirty. No matter what crap you throw on it ... it always rubs off. And there it is again... perfect .
26 .
GRETCHEN
Until it withers away.
She stares at him for a moment.
DONNIE
It's a good thing the school was flooded today.
GRETCHEN
Why is that?
DONNIE
We never would have had this conversation .
She smiles.
GRETCHEN You're weird.
DONNIE
I ' m sorry .
GRETCHEN
That was a compliment.
DONNIE
Will you go with me?
GRETCHEN
Where are we going?
DONNIE
No. . . I mean, will you GO with me?
That's like... what they call it here. Going together.
GRETCHEN
(beat )
Sure .
She gets up and begins to walk up the hill.
DONNIE
Where are you going?
GRETCHEN I'm going home.
Title card:
OCTOBER 6 1988
INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE - EVENING (THURSDAY, 6 P.M.) Dr. Thurman sits next to Donnie. His eyes are closed.
27 .
DR. THURMAN
And when I clap my hands twice, you will wake up. Do you understand?
DONNIE
Yes .
DR. THURMAN
So, tell me about your day, Donald. DONNIE
I met a girl.
DR. THURMAN What is her name?
DONNIE
Gretchen. We're going together now. DR. THURMAN
Do you think a lot about girls?
DONNIE
Yes .
DR. THURMAN
How are things going at school?
DONNIE
I think about girls a lot .
DR. THURMAN
I asked you about school.
DONNIE
I think about . . Fucking a lot during school .
DR. THURMAN
What else do you think about during school?
DONNIE
I think... about... "Who's the Boss?"
DR. THURMAN Who is the boss?
DONNIE
I just turn the volume down and think about fucking Alyssa Milano.
DR. THURMAN
What about your family, Donnie?
DONNIE
No, I don't think about fucking my family. That's sick!
DR. THURMAN
Donnie. . . I want to hear about your friend Frank.
Donnie is now undoing his belt. He is no longer paying attention .
Dr. Thurman quickly claps her hands. Donnie jolts awake... disoriented .
INT. ENGLISH CLASS - DAY (FRIDAY, 8:30 A.M.)
Donnie sits with his eyes wide open, staring at something.
POLICE OFFICER (out of shot)
Aaron Armitage... Cherita Chen.
Donnie's face has gone white.
PRINCIPAL COLE Donald Darko.
We reveal on the blackboard the phrase, "They made me do it", written over and over again.
We reveal two Police Officers standing next to Principal Cole in the corner of the classroom.
Donnie gets up and walks over to the board and writes the phrase .
He then sits down again without hesitation.
The Police Officer hesitates for a moment, lingering over Donnie's penmanship. He then places a '?' next to Donnie's name on the roster. Ms. Pomeroy makes eye-contact with him.
INT. HEALTH CLASS - AFTERNOON (FRIDAY, 1 P.M.)
We pull back from a television: a cloud formation blows across the screen revealing a logo that reads: CUNNING VISIONS PRODUCTIONS.
A series of interviews follows., infomercial style.
LINDA CONNIE
And what I realised was that my entire life I was a victim of my own FEAR.
I was FEEDING FEAR WITH FOOD... and finally... I looked in the mirror.
Not just IN THE MIRROR.
(MORE)
29 .
LINDA CONNIE (CONT'D)
I looked THROUGH the mirror. And in that image I saw my EGO REFLECTION.
Donnie's health class is assembled in uniform rows in front of a television cart. Ms. Farmer paces in front of them.
SHANDA RIESMAN (with her arm around her geeky son)
...and for two years I thought it was NORMAL for a fifteen-year-old to wet the bed.
Laughter from the students.
MS . FARMER
QUIET !
SHANDA RIESMAN (choking up)
We tried everything. But the solution was there... all along.
LARRY RIESMAN (burst out emotionally)
I'm not AFRAID anymore!
A montage of "family" imagery follows.
NARRATOR
All across America... people have come together to join hands. People who believe that human life is too important... too valuable to be controlled by FEAR.
A middle-aged man walks out onto a country patio. It is Jim Cunningham... the guy from the golf course.
JIM CUNNINGHAM
Hello. My name is Jim Cunningham.
And welcome to "Controlling Fear" .
The title CONTROLLING FEAR appears on the screen... followed by PART ONE: ATTITUDINAL BELIEFS.
FRANK (V.O.)
Pay close attention, you could miss something .
Donnie stares at the screen... at Jim Cunningham.
EXT. OLD GUN RUINS
AFTERNOON (FRIDAY MAGIC HOUR, 4:30 P.M.)
The ruins of a brick chimney sit in the middle of a field. Donnie, Sean and Ronald have lined up several empty beer bottles, cans and stuffed animals on the hearth.
They take turns blasting these targets with a BB gun.
Blam! A can falls over. Ronald hands the gun to Donnie. Sean pulls out a bottle of Raspberry Night Train and takes a sip.
He hands the bottle to Ronald.
RONALD
What is this shit?
SEAN
Raspberry .
He takes a big sip... which results in a dry heave.
RONALD
Raspberry. That's good shit.
Donnie aims the crosshairs on Smurfette's head. He pulls the trigger. Smurf ette falls over.
RONALD (CONT'D)
Wicked .
SEAN
No more fuckin' for her.
RONALD
Smurfette doesn't fuck.
SEAN
Bullshit. Smurfette fucks all the other smurfs. That's why Papa Smurf made her, 'cause the other smurfs were getting too horny.
RONALD
Not Vanity. He's a homo.
Blam! A bottle shatters.
SEAN
Then she fucks 'em all while Vanity watches. And Papa Smurf films it.
Ronald takes another sip of Night Train... followed by another dry heave. Blam! A bottle breaks.
DONNIE
First of all... Papa Smurf didn't create Smurfette. Gargamel did.
(MORE)
DONNIE (CONT'D)
She was sent in as Gargemel's evil spy, with the intention of destroying the smurf village. But the overwhelming Goodness of the Smurf Way of Life transformed her into the Smurfette we all know and love. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario... it just couldn't happen. Smurfs are asexual. They probably don't even have reproductive organs down there under those little white pants. The only reason they exist is because of magic spells and witchcraft... which is all a bunch of bullshit if you ask me.
(beat )
That's what's so illogical about the smurfs... what's the point of living if you don't have a dick?
Donnie aims the gun... pulls the trigger. Blam! A bottle breaks .
RONALD
Dammit, Donnie! Why do you always gotta get all smart on us !
Donnie takes the bottle of Night Train and takes a small sip .
Their conversation is interrupted by the squealing of tyres. EXT. OLD GUN ROAD - NEXT (MAGIC HOUR, 5 P.M.)
Down the hill, a Dodge minivan is stopped on Old Gun Road. Grandma Death is once again in the middle of the street .
DONNIE
Grandma Death.
Ms. farmer leans her head out of the window.
MS . FARMER
Excuse me !
Grandma Death doesn't hear her. She wanders around in circles.
Furious, Ms. Farmer gets out of the car and walks over to the old woman, walking her by the shoulders back to her driveway .
MS. FARMER (CONT'D)
Please stay out of the road, Ms.
Sparrow. If this happens again, I'm going to call social services.
Ms. Farmer gets back behind the wheel and they drive off. Grandma Death lurks around her mailbox.
RONALD
How old is Grandma Death?
DONNIE
A hundred and one, I think. Every day she does the same thing. But there's never any mail.
Grandma Death approaches the mailbox.
SEAN
Here we go... this could be it.
She opens it... then closes it. Walks away.
RONALD
Awwww. That sucks.
She approaches the box again...
SEAN
Wait a minute... we may still have mail . . .
Opens it... closes it. Walks away.
RONALD
Noooo !
They continue to watch her, sipping liquor into the sunset, as Grandma Death repeats this act like an ancient wind-up doll.
INT. FAMILY ROOM - EVENING (FRIDAY, 7 P.M.)
Donnie lies on the couch watching television... where there is a news story about the flooded school. Several construction workers are packing up their things.
INT. UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER (7:15 P.M.)
Looking nauseous, Donnie opens the medicine cabinet and retrieves his pills. He takes four of them. Donnie takes a drink of water, closing his eyes. He puts the pills back and closes the cabinet.
In the mirror's reflection is Frank. Donnie jumps.
FRANK
You got away with it. Don't worry.
33 .
Donnie reaches his hand out towards Frank and it presses against an invisible wall, as if he were pressing his hand against liquid glass.
DONNIE
How can you do that?
FRANK
I can do anything I want . . . and so can you . . .
Donnie stares closely at Frank. He then removes his hands and moves back away from him.
EXT. MIDDLESEX SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - EVENING (7:15 P.M.)
A sign reads: EMERGENCY PTA MEETING TONIGHT.
INT. AUDITORIUM - EVENING (7:15 P.M.)
Parents and teachers convene in front of the auditorium entrance .
Kitty Farmer hands out Xeroxed images of something.
Eddie and Rose chit-chat with other concerned parents.
Ms. Pomeroy approaches Kitty Farmer.
MS. POMEROY
What are you trying to accomplish here?
MS . FARMER (indignant )
There was urine and faeces flooded in my office.
INT. AUDITORIUM - LATER ON
The crowd settles... Principal Cole takes the stage.
PRINCIPAL COLE
In co-operation with the county police, we have begun an active investigation into the cause of the flooding... and our suspects include several of our own students.
Kitty Farmer stands up in her seat near the front row.
MS . FARMER
I want to know why this FILTH is being taught to our children.
The crowd stirs.
PRINCIPAL COLE
Kitty, I would appreciate... if you could wait . . .
MS . FARMER
Mr. Cole. . . not only am I a TEACHER. . but I am also a PARENT of a Middlesex child. Therefore, I am the ONLY person here who transcends the parent teacher bridge.
PRINCIPAL COLE
Kitty . . .
MS . FARMER
The bottom line... Mr. Cole... is that there is material being taught to our children that is cause for this destructive behaviour.
She stands up.
MS. FARMER (CONT'D)
I have in my hand Graham Greene ' s "The Destructors". This short story is part of my daughter's English assignment. In this story, several children destroy an elderly man's house from inside out. They destroy his house without motive, without moral consequence. They destroy private property ...and they get away with it .
Ms. Pomeroy shakes her head bitterly.
MS. FARMER (CONT'D)
And how do they do this? They FLOOD the house... by breaking through the water main!
PRINCIPAL COLE (trying to calm her)
This meeting of the PTA was called to inform the parents of our ongoing investigation. . .
MS . FARMER (enraged)
I AM THE PTA! And I say that this FILTH is directly related to this vandalism.
Applause from the crowd.
35 .
MS. FARMER (CONT'D)
I think this garbage should be removed .
Several shouts of approval come from the crowd.
INT. UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - EVENING Donnie continues to converse with Frank.
DONNIE
Why did you make me flood the school?
FRANK
We just want to guide you in the right direction.
DONNIE
Who is . . . we?
FRANK
You'll know soon enough.
DONNIE
(desperate)
Where did you come from?
FRANK
(beat )
Do you believe in time travel, Donnie?
A moment of silence.
SAMANTHA
Who are you talking to?
Donnie turns to see Samantha is standing in the doorway.
Frank is gone.
INT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT
A heated debate among the parents is under way. Frustrated, Rose stands up. Karen Pomeroy is furious.
ROSE
Excuse me... but what is the real issue here? The PTA doesn't ban books from school.
MS . FARMER
The PTA is here to acknowledge that there is pornography in our school's curriculum .
MS. POMEROY (standing up)
My GOD. . . woman, are you drunk?
36 .
MS . FARMER
Excuse me? You need to go back to grad school.
ROSE
(to Kitty)
Do you even know who Graham Greene is ?
MS . FARMER (to Rose)
I think we've all seen "Bonanza".
Ms. Pomeroy is disgusted. Rose and Eddie burst out laughing, grab their coats, and leave.
Donnie and Gretchen play a Sega race-car driving game. Donnie drives a souped-up red Ferrari through the Grand Canyon.
GRETCHEN
So when you sleepwalk, can you remember afterward? Like, do you dream?
DONNIE
No. I just wake up and I look around, try to figure out where I am. . . how I got there.
GRETCHEN
My dad said never wake a sleepwalker... because they could drop dead.
The Trans-Am crashes head on into a tree. Game Over.
DONNIE
It's like this big force... that's in your brain. But sometimes it grows bigger... and it spread down into your arms and legs. . . and it just sends you someplace .
GRETCHEN
So when you sleepwalk, you go somewhere familiar?
DONNIE
No. Every time I wake up somewhere different. Sometimes my bike is laying there next to me. Like once when I woke up on the edge of this cliff up on Carpathian Ridge.
GRETCHEN
And you'd never been there before?
They sit silently for a moment.
GRETCHEN (CONT'D)
Donnie?
DONNIE
Yeah?
GRETCHEN
Do you ever feel as though there's always someone watching you?
DONNIE
Why?
GRETCHEN
Well. . . maybe someone is, like. . . giving you these dream steroids . And sleepwalking ...is someone showing you the way.
Title card:
OCTOBER 13 1988
INT. ENGLISH CLASS - MORNING (THURSDAY, 8 A.M.)
Donnie stands in front of the class. Ms. Pomeroy sits behind her desk. On the chalkboard is "Poetry Day".
DONNIE
"A storm is coming, Frank says. A storm that will swallow the children... and I will deliver them from the kingdom of pain."
(beat )
"I will deliver the children to their doorsteps. I will send the monsters back to the underground. I will send them back to a place where no one can see them ...except for me. Because I am Donnie Darko. "
Donnie returns to his seat. Ms. Pomeroy stares at him intensely .
MS. POMEROY Who is Frank?
DONNIE
A six-foot-tall bunny rabbit.
The class begins to laugh. Donnie looks over at Gretchen.
INT. HEALTH CLASS - AFTERNOON (THURSDAY, 1 P.M.)
Ms. Farmer stands next to the television where Jim Cunningham narrates the Lifeline tutorial.
JIM CUNNINGHAM
And so, let us begin Lifeline Exercise No. 1 .
"PLEASE PRESS STOP NOW" appears on the screen.
Ms. Farmer stops the tape and moves to the blackboard. On it, she has drawn a horizontal line book-ended by the words "Love" and "Fear".
MS . FARMER
As you can see, the Lifeline is controlled by two polar extremes: "Fear" and "Love". Fear is in the negative energy spectrum. Love is in the positive energy spectrum.
SEAN
(to Donnie)
No duh.
MS . FARMER
Excuse me?
(defensive)
"No duh" is a product of fear.
She stares them down for a moment... shaking her head.
MS. FARMER (CONT'D)
(handing out cards)
Now, on each card is a CHARACTER DILEMMA which applies to the Lifeline.
Please read each character dilemma aloud. . . and place an X on the Lifeline in the appropriate place.
The students read their cards.
KITTY FARMER We'll start in the front.
Cherita Chen stands up and walks over to the blackboard. Ms. Farmer pulls up large white cards that have black-and- white animated cartoons on them.
CHERITA
Juanita has an important maths test today. She has known about the test for several weeks, but has not studied .
(MORE)
39 .
CHERITA (CONT'D)
In order to keep from failing her class, Juanita decides that she will cheat on the maths test.
Cherita places an X near the "Fear" end of the lifeline.
MS . FARMER
Good. Next.
Donnie watches as several more students interpret their respective human dilemmas.
Finally... it is his turn.
DONNIE
Ling Ling finds a wallet on the ground filled with money. She takes the wallet to the address on the driver's license but keeps the money inside the wallet.
Donnie looks at the blackboard.
DONNIE (CONT'D)
I'm sorry, Ms. Farmer, I just don't get this.
MS . FARMER ( impatient )
Just place an X in the appropriate place on the Lifeline.
DONNIE
I just don't get this. Everything can't be lumped into two categories.
That's too simple.
MS . FARMER
The Lifeline is divided that way.
DONNIE
Well, life isn't that simple. So what if Ling Ling kept the cash and returned the wallet? That has nothing to do with either fear or love.
MS . FARMER ( impatient )
Fear and love are the deepest of human emotions.
DONNIE
Well, yeah... OK, but you're not listening to me.
(MORE)
DONNIE (CONT'D)
There are other things that need to be taken into account here. Like the whole spectrum of human emotion.
You're just lumping everything into these two categories... and, like, denying everything else.
Ms. Farmer stares at Donnie vehemently. She can't believe what she's hearing.
DONNIE (CONT'D)
People aren't that simple.
MS . FARMER (not knowing how to argue with him)
If you don't complete the assignment, you'll get a zero for the day.
Donnie thinks for a moment... and then raises his hand.
INT. PRINCIPAL COLE'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON (2 P.M.)
Donnie and his parents sit in front of Principal Cole.
PRINCIPAL COLE
Donald. . . let me preface this by saying that your Iowa scores are. . .
(looking down at the file)
. . .intimidating.
(rubbing his temples)
So... let's go over this again. What exactly did you say to Ms. Farmer?
Donnie does not answer. We reveal Ms. Farmer standing in the corner .
MS . FARMER (furious )
He asked me to... forcibly insert the Lifeline exercise card into my anus .
Silence. Rose looks down, furious. Eddie lets out a snort laugh which he tries to conceal with a cough. It doesn't work .
INT. TEACHERS' LOUNGE / OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER (2:15 P.M.)
Eddie and Donnie exit Cole's office, moving on while Rose approaches Kitty, who looks visibly shaken.
ROSE
Kitty, I don't know what to say.
They've suspended him for two days.
(MORE)
ROSE (CONT'D)
(beat )
Ever since this jet fiasco, I honestly don't know what has gotten into him.
MS . FARMER
Rose, I'll tell you this because our daughters have been on dance team together for two years and I respect you as WOMAN. But after witnessing your son's behaviour today, I have... significant doubts...
(stopping herself)
Our paths through life must be righteous . I urge you to go home and look in the mirror and pray that your son does not succumb to the path of fear.
Kitty Farmer turns and walks away.
EXT. DARKO BACKYARD / PATIO - SUNSET (MAGIC HOUR, 5:30 P.M.) Samantha jumps up and down on the trampoline.
INT. DONNIE'S ROOM - NIGHT (5:30 P.M.)
Donnie walks into his room again for the first time since the accident, looking around at the new furniture, paint and carpet. Everything is perfect.
Elizabeth appears in the doorway behind him with a cordless phone in her hand.
ELIZABETH (into the phone)
Oh my God, remember that gym teacher,
Ms. Farmer?
(beat )
Yeah. Well, I guess my brother called her a fat bitch today in class and got suspended. And my parents just bought him all of this new shit.
(beat )
Yeah, I know. I wish a jet engine would have fallen on my room.
INT. MARINO'S ITALIAN BISTRO - NIGHT (6 P.M.)
Eddie and Rose sit across from one another at the bistro patio... having a quiet dinner to themselves.
ROSE
He's too old to be behaving this way .
Eddie considers this.
EDDIE
Oh, I say we buy him a moped.
INT. DONNIE'S ROM - NIGHT (7 P.M.)
Donnie lies in bed... looking up at the ceiling. He then rolls over and looks at the calendar on his wall. The days of the month of October are marked off with an X in each square. Tacked onto the calendar is a drawing of Frank.
DONNIE
28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds .
INT. PHYSICS CLASS - DAY (FRIDAY, 2:30 P.M.)
As everyone is leaving class, Donnie stays behind.
DONNIE
Dr. Monnitoff?
DR. MONNITOFF
Donnie .
DONNIE
I know that this is gonna sound kinda weird. . . but do you know anything about time travel?
Dr. Monnitoff pauses, turns and looks at Donnie. He seems to know something.
INT. PHYSICS CLASS - LATER ON
Dr. Monnitoff has drawn a diagram on the blackboard. In his hand he holds a copy of Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time " .
DR. MONNITOFF
So. . . according to Hawking. . . wormholes might be able to provide a shot cut for jumping between two distant regions of space-time.
DONNIE
So... in order to travel back in time, you'd have to have a big spaceship or something that can travel faster than the speed of light --
DR. MONNITOFF Theoretically .
DONNIE
-- and be able to find one of these wormholes .
43 .
DR. MONNITOFF
A wormhole with an Einstein-Rosen bridge, which is, theoretically... a wormhole in space controlled by man.
DONNIE
So . . . that ' s it?
DR. MONNITOFF
The basic principles of time travel are there.
(beat )
So you have the vessel and the portal.
And the vessel can be anything.
Most likely a spacecraft.
EXT. SCHOOL COURTYARD - NEXT
Cherita Chen listens to this conversation intently.
INT. PHYSICS CLASS - NEXT
DONNIE
Like a DeLorean.
DR. MONNITOFF ( smiling)
A metal craft of any kind.
Donnie stares at him intently. Dr. Monnitoff walks over to his desk and picks up a book.
DR. MONNITOFF (CONT'D)
Don't tell anybody that I gave you this .
(beat )
The woman who wrote it . . . used to teach here a long time ago. She was a nun for many years and then overnight she just became this entirely different person. She up and left the Church, wrote this book, and started teaching science.
Donnie takes the battered book... we see the cover.
INT. SCHOOL MAIN HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Donnie stands before an array of old photographs. We zoom in to a black-and-white photograph of a young Robert Sparrow standing in a class photograph dated 1944.
Donnie looks down at the book, and then at the photograph.
DONNIE
Roberta Sparrow... Grandma Death.
INT. KITCHEN
NIGHT (FRIDAY, 6 P.M.)
44 .
Donnie sits down for dinner with his family.
DONNIE
It's called "The Philosophy of Time Travel" .
ELIZABETH
What does time travel have to do with philosophy?
DONNIE
Guess who wrote it?
No one seems to know.
DONNIE (CONT'D)
Grandma Death.
ROSE
That is a terrible nickname.
EDDIE
Grandma Death.
DONNIE (to Eddie)
You know, Roberta Sparrow. We almost hit her with the car the other day.
ROSE
I've heard she's loaded.
The family is taken aback.
EDDIE
You're right. Roberta Sparrow was famous for her gem collections. Kids used to try and steal stuff from her all the time. Over the years... as she got older, she became more and more of a recluse. . . now she just likes to stay up there all by herself.
Slow motion. Donnie and Gretchen jump up and down on the trampoline, lost among falling autumn leaves.
INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE - DAY (SUNDAY, 12 P.M.)
Donnie is back on Dr. Thurman's couch.
45 .
DR. THURMAN
How many times have you seen Frank? DONNIE
Four times... so far.
DR. THURMAN Can anyone else see him?
DONNIE
I don't think so. It's like a TV station. And they're tuned into mine and no one else's.
DR. THURMAN
Who is they? Is Frank part of some larger group?
DONNIE
I don't know. Gretchen has a theory. That Frank is a sign. I told her I thought it was ridiculous .
DR. THURMAN A sign from whom?
DONNIE
(changing the subject)
I think that Frank wants me to go to this woman.
(holding up the book)
She wrote a book about time travel. Frank asked me if I believed in time travel. That can't just be a random coincidence .
(beat )
My dad almost hit her with the car the other day, and she said the creepiest thing. She said that every living creature on this earth dies alone .
DR. THURMAN
How does that make you feel?
DONNIE
It reminded me of my dog Callie.
DR. THURMAN Is Callie still around?
DONNIE
No. She died when I was eight. We couldn't find her for days. She went and crawled underneath our back porch . . .
46 .
DR. THURMAN
Do you feel alone right now?
He looks at her for a moment.
DONNIE
I'd like to believe that I'm not... but I've just never seen any proof. So I just choose not to bother with it. It's, like, I could spend my whole life thinking about it... debating it in my head. Weighing the pros and cons. And in the end,
I still wouldn't have any proof. So ...I don't even debate it any more. Because it's absurd.
(beat )
I don't want to be alone.
(beat )
So, does that make me, like, an atheist ?
DR. THURMAN
No. That makes you keep searching.
Donnie takes this in for a moment.
INT. FAMILY ROOM - EVENING (SUNDAY, 7:15 P.M.)
Eddie and Dr. Fisher watch the Redskins game. Ronald and Donnie watch the game in the family room.
EDDIE
Ahh. . . we need Theisman.
DR. FISHER We need a miracle.
INT. KITCHEN - NEXT
Rose and Anne Fisher (forty-five) share a bottle of wine at the kitchen table.
ANNE
And so, his tapes made me realise that for forty-five years I have been a a prisoner of fear. Rose, you have to meet Jim Cunningham.
(taking a sip of wine)
I can't believe he's not married.
Samantha bounces through the kitchen and into the family room, wearing a Dorothy outfit from "The Wizard of Oz".
INT. FAMILY ROOM - NEXT
Donnie sits back in the La-Z Boy, dozing off...
John Madden's CBS chalkboard unfolds on the TV screen. Madden traces his electronic lines across the screen, tracing the movement of the players... as their images are frozen in time .
Donnie's eyes close... and then re-open.
Donnie turns his head and sees that the room is momentarily bathed in artificial white light, as if God hit the slow- motion button during a flash of lightning.
Donnie turns his head and sees that protruding from his father's stomach... is a thick spear made of silvery plastic gel .
As Eddie gets up from the couch to walk over to the refrigerator ...his spear precedes him... morphing into an extruded arrow that reaches the refrigerator several seconds before him.
The spear traces the exact geography of his movement through time... using his centre of gravity as its axis point.
Donnie turns and sees Samantha skipping from the kitchen... as her spear bounces several feet in front of her like a caterpillar .
Her spear... smaller than her father's... is proportional to her mass.
SAMANTHA
(her voice echoing through the silence)
Follow the yellow brick road. . .
Donnie looks down at his stomach and sees his own spear protruding outward. It then begins to extrude forward towards the foyer.
He does not follow it. It then retreats back in and beckons him to follow.
Like a child transfixed by a firefly... Donnie follows the path of his spear into the foyer.
INT. FOYER / UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NXT
Donnie and his spear round the corner and arrive in his parents' bedroom.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT
His spear leads him to the closet. He opens the closet door... and the spear leads him down to a box hidden beneath his father's shoe rack.
Donnie removes the box from the closet and unlatches it. Inside is a gun. Donnie removes the pistol from the box... staring at it with the same childlike expression.
Suddenly... Donnie's universe snaps back to normal. The white light strobes... the spear has vanished.
Donnie still holds the gun. His expression changes to nervous shock .
His eyes linger over the gun for a moment, he then quickly puts it back in the box... and carefully places the box back under the shoe rack.
Title card:
OCTOBER 18 1988
EXT. BUS STOP - MORNING (TUESDAY, 7:30 A.M.)
The usual bus stop crew is there. Donnie arrives last... by himself. He looks tired and preoccupied.
A plane flies overhead... they all look up at the sky.
INT. ENGLISH CLASS - MORNING (8:30 A.M.)
We see the students placing the Graham Greene books on Ms. Pomeroy's desk.
MS. POMEROY
It gives me no pleasure to deny you the right to read one of the great writers of the twentieth century.
But... alas, I have not yet been elected Queen of the Universe. And until that day, I will be forced to obey the rules... and so will you.
So... if anyone is found carrying this book in school, they will be suspended .
Donnie slips his book into his backpack.
MS. POMEROY (CONT'D)
But let's not worry. Someone has already pre-ordered several dozen copies at Sarasota Mall Waldenbooks . now, in Mr. Greene's absence, we will be reading another classic.
Richard Adams' "Watership Down".
She begins to hand out copies of the paperback novel. Beth Farmer smiles when she sees the cover.
BETH
Awww. Bunnies.
49 .
MS. POMEROY (whispering in his ear)
Donnie, maybe you and Frank can read this one together.
INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - MIDDAY (11:30 A.M.)
Donnie walks along the edge of the school. Suddenly, a figure approaches, grabbing him from behind, placing a switchblade next to his throat. It is Seth Devlin.
SETH
Did you tell them that I flooded the school?
DONNIE I didn't say shit.
SETH
That's not what I heard. Now they think I did it .
DONNIE
Well, if you're innocent, then you have nothing to worry about .
SETH
You know what? I think that you did it .
Seth takes the knife and pokes the tip softly into the flesh of Donnie's neck, drawing a small amount of blood.
He pushes Donnie away. Donnie touches his neck in shock.
INT. PHYSICS CLASS - DAY (2:30 P.M.)
Donnie walks into the classroom and takes his seat next to Gretchen. He is sweating profusely.
Dr. Monnitoff is handing out papers. The bell rings People shuffle out.
DR. MONNITOFF
Don't forget tomorrow we'll be meeting with our partners for the Young Inventors Fair.
Donnie rubs his finger over his neck wound.
GRETCHEN
What happened to your neck?
DONNIE
I don't want to talk about it.
(MORE)
50 .
DONNIE (CONT'D)
(changing the subject)
So what happened to your neck?
EXT. GOLF COURSE FOREST - THAT AFTERNOON (3 P.M.)
Donnie and Gretchen walk around the trail.
GRETCHEN
Were you ever afraid of the dark?
They pull over to a stop.
DONNIE
Why?
She thinks for a moment .
GRETCHEN
Babies cry because they're afraid of the dark. And because they have no memories. . . for all they know. . . every night could be the last forever. Like, perpetual darkness.
DONNIE
Why not just buy your baby a night light?
GRETCHEN
That's not good enough. You've got to go back in time and take all those hours of darkness and pain and replace them. . . with whatever you wanted.
DONNIE
With, like, images?
GRETCHEN
Like... a Hawaiian sunset... the Grand Canyon. Things that remind you how beautiful the world can be.
Donnie stops and takes Gretchen 's hand.
DONNIE
You know... we've been going together for a week and a half. . .
GRETCHEN
And what?
DONNIE
Well . . .
GRETCHEN
You want to kiss me...
Donnie goes in for an awkward kiss... but Gretchen turns and denies him.
Donnie turns away, embarrassed.
DONNIE
That's alright... I understand.
GRETCHEN
(embarrassed)
No... Donnie, wait. I've never...
DONNIE
I always wanted it to be at a time when . . .when it reminds you how beautiful the world can be.
GRETCHEN
Yeah. And right now there's some fat guy over there watching us.
A man in a red jogging suit is standing there in the forest smoking a cigarette. He turns away... disappearing into the woods .
EXT. NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET - LATER THAT AFTERNOON (4 P.M.)
Donnie rides along the sidewalk... and skids to a stop, seeing a wallet lying there.
Donnie opens the wallet, looking at the ID. It reads:
JIM CUNNINGHAM 42 POWDERHAM DRIVE MIDDLESEX, VA 23113
FRANK (V.O.)
(echoing in Donnie's head)
Now you know where he lives.
Donnie looks over and sees that he is in front of Cunningham's Tudor mansion.
INT. KITCHEN - EVENING (7:15 P.M.)
Donnie sits at the kitchen island with Elizabeth, carving a pumpkin .
ELIZABETH
So I hear you have a girlfriend. DONNIE
Yeah .
ELIZABETH What's her name?
52 .
DONNIE
You're not gonna tell Mom, are you?
ELIZABETH
(defensive)
Why would I tell Mom?
DONNIE
Because you tell Mom everything.
ELIZABETH
No I don't.
(long beat)
She worries about you.
DONNIE
Well, don't worry... I'm taking my medication .
ELIZABETH
It's not that. I mean mouthing off to your teachers. I'll admit... when Dad told me what you said to Ms .
Farmer, I laughed my ass off.
DONNIE
I was just being honest.
ELIZABETH
Yeah... well, that's not the way the world works. If you keep being too honest, the world will eventually find a way to destroy you.
DONNIE
Her name is Gretchen.
ELIZABETH
That's a nice name.
(beat )
OK, let me see it .
Donnie turns the carved jack o' lantern around and we see that it looks remarkably like Frank.
INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE - NIGHT (8 P.M.)
Rose and Eddie sit in front of Dr. Thurman.
ROSE
Thank you for seeing us . . . We . . . just felt that it was time to discuss . . .
DR. THURMAN
What I think is going on with your son .
53 .
ROSE
Well, you know about his past. And when you said to look for signs of aggression ...He was recently suspended from school for insulting his gym teacher.
EDDIE
She deserved it.
DR. THURMAN
Rose. . . let me just lay out what I believe is happening here. Donnie's aggressive behaviour seems to stem from his increased detachment from reality. His inability to cope with the forces in the world that he perceives to be threatening.
Rose smiles nervously.
DR. THURMAN (CONT'D) Has your son ever told you about Frank?
ROSE
Come again?
DR. THURMAN
Frank... the giant bunny rabbit?
ROSE
Frank?
DR. THURMAN
Donnie is experiencing what is commonly called a daylight hallucination .
ROSE
You're telling me my son has an imaginary friend?
DR. THURMAN He has described lengthy conversations... physical encounters with what I believe to be a manifestation of his subconscious mind .
Rose looks over at Eddie with an expression of panic.
ROSE
I. . . What can we do?
DR. THURMAN
I would like to put him through more hypnotherapy... and increase his medication .
Eddie looks at Rose . . . who nods in approval .
ROSE
If that's what you think is necessary.
DR. THURMAN
But let me remind you that this treatment is... experimental.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Donnie walks into the kitchen and removes a butcher's knife from a drawer.
INT. UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - NIGHT
Donnie stands in front of the bathroom mirror... catatonic... looking at his reflection.
Frank stands behind him.
Suddenly, Donnie turns around with the butcher's knife and lunges at Frank with all of his weight.
The knife collides with Frank's invisible force field as if it were liquid steel. Donnie lunges repeatedly at Frank with psychotic rage... but the knife bounces off.
Title card:
OCTOBER 20 1988
INT. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - MORNING (10 A.M.)
The auditorium is packed with Middlesex mongrels. Jim Cunningham takes the stage.
JIM CUNNINGHAM (shouting)
Good morning, mongrels !
AUDIENCE
(scattered voices)
Good morning . . .
JIM CUNNINGHAM
That's all the gusta you can musta?
I said, "Good morning!"
AUDIENCE (yelling louder)
Good MORNING!
JIM CUNNINGHAM
Now that's better... but I still sense some students out there... who are AFRAID . . . just to say GOOD MORNING!