I’m relating the movie Donnie Darko to the Relational Dialectics communication theory by Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery. The definition of Relational Dialectics is: a dynamic knot of contradictions in personal relationships; an unceasing interplay between contrary or opposing tendencies. Relational Dialectics has three parts to it: integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/nonexpression. Donnie Darko is a perfect example of this communication theory.
Donnie Darko is a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal that came out in 2001. There are many huge names that also showed up in this movie including Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Patrick Swayze. This movie takes place in October of 1988. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Donnie Darko, a teenage boy who is visited by a demented rabbit named Frank. Donnie has mental issues and has to see a psychiatrist to deal with them. Frank comes to Donnie one night, luring him from his bed, and tells him that the world is going to end. While Donnie is out of bed a jet engine strangely lands in his room and if Frank hadn’t of lured him away he would have died. No one knows where the jet engine is from (it’s actually from the future). Frank also tells Donnie how much time there is until the world would end. A series of events begin to happen after the first meeting with Frank, each leading up to the end of the world. Frank had Donnie perform several acts, including burning down a pedophiles’ house and busting a water main at his school. He does not realize he is doing these things because Frank takes him over. Donnie tells his psychiatrist about what is happening to him, but all she does is prescribe him medication because she thinks he is having illusions. She thinks he is just imagining it all and that it can’t be real, but it actually is happening to him.
Frank is a demented rabbit that visits Donnie and makes him do horrible things around town. He is actually a young man, probably about our age, that is dressed up as a rabbit. He’s in a grey costume with a giant, metal, scary looking rabbit mask. He traveled back in time to tell Donnie that the world is going to end. What Donnie doesn’t know is that what Frank means by the world ending is that Donnie’s world will end. Instead of being lured away from his bed the first night that Donnie meets Frank, Donnie is left in bed when the jet engine lands in his room, killing him. Everything that he had done, both the good and the bad, never happened, making the world how it should be.
Donnie Darko is a perfect example of the Relational Dialectics communication theory because of the relationship between Donnie and Frank. Together they experience all three parts of the theory: integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/nonexpression.
Integration/Separation – The definition of integration/separation is a class of relational dialectics that includes connectedness-separateness, inclusion-seclusion, intimacy-independence, and closeness-autonomy. Donnie and Frank are two completely different people, but yet they are intertwined with one another. Frank knows everything about Donnie. This allows Frank to manipulate him into doing what he wants because he plays on Donnie’s emotions. This is the integration. Frank exposes just enough about himself to Donnie while Donnie is completely exposed. This is where the separation comes in. Frank shows him the gunshot wound in his eye, not telling him how he got it (Donnie actually gave it to him, killing him in the future after Frank runs over his girlfriend on the night the world will end). Donnie and frank are also two independent people, but yet they are acting as one person throughout the movie.
Stability/Change – The definition of stability/change is a class of relational dialectics that includes certainty-uncertainty, conventionality-uniqueness, predictability-surprise, and routine-novelty. Donnie Darko is yet again a good example of this. Donnie’s world is thrown all out of proportion when Frank comes into the picture. The whole idea of the world ending and time travel is enough to throw anyone’s life out of whack. Donnie Darko is an example of this because on one end of the spectrum Donnie’s life is normal, and in a way so is Frank’s. They are both leading normal lives on the outside. Donnie is still going to school, hanging out with his friends, spending time with his girlfriend, and even interacting with his family. On the other hand, Donnie is the crazy person who is destroying his town and waiting for the world to end, following everything that Frank tell him to do. Frank is leading two lives. He is a normal person as well as the demented rabbit. He is literally two people. The stability/change comes into play with the fact that both Donnie and Frank’s normal lives are being tossed aside for their other lives. All because the world is going to end. The world before Frank is somewhat normal, that’s the stability. But after Frank the world is in chaos, that’s the change.
Expression/Nonexpression – The definition of expression/nonexpression is a class of relational dialectics that includes openness-closedness, revelation-concealment, candor-secrecy, and transparency-privacy. There are several ways this could apply to Donnie Darko. For one, it could go back to the example I used for integration/separation, where Frank only shows him his wound but does not tell him how he got it. Another example would be when Donnie asks Frank why they call him Frank. Frank tells him that it was the name of his father and grandfather but does not tell him more. Frank invites Donnie into his life with bits and pieces, but never tells him the full story. Donnie would do the same thing, but Frank already knows everything about Donnie without being told.
The movie Donnie Darko is a very good example of the Relational Dialectics communication theory by Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery. It follows all three parts (integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/nonexpression) of the theory. The relationship between Donnie and Frank is a complicated relationship, but it is still one that is unique and interesting. The equipment for living this theory provides is allowing people to have relationships that are different, and yet the same. The people in the relationship can be individuals and also be the same person in the sense of personality.
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