Sure, it launched Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhaal’s careers, but DONNIE DARKO also cemented a cultural touchstone of upper-middle class teen alienation that’s only been burnished by time and rewatches. In a sense, Donnie is the average white suburbanite kid — but against the backdrop of a changing America and an aging boomer generation, basic empathy and self-awareness turn out to be a literal superpower.

Finn Odum has a long history with DONNIE DARKO, making them a perfect fit for this extra-special episode! Harry hasn’t seen it since high school; Jason is afraid to find out if he still likes it after being bewitched by it as a kid; and Aaron hates teen movies. And… scene!

Find Finn…

• On Twitter and Bluesky at @Finnematic


• On Letterboxd at @finnofthedead


• On Perisphere, the Trylon blog


• On Trylove episodes about THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), DIABOLIQUE (1955), CON AIR (1997), THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1973), LA CASA LOBO (THE WOLF HOUSE) (2018)

References:

• “the killing moon” by Finn Odum for Perisphere, the Trylon blog


• “Donnie Darko and the Inevitability of Teenagers” by Ryan Sanderson for Perisphere, the Trylon blog


• donniedarko.com, preserved by web developer Rich Holman


• Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices!


• Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets


• Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog

#OtherProgramming #35mm

Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch!

Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Liquid Spear Waltz” by Michael Andrews from the DONNIE DARKO soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 340: DONNIE DARKO (2001)

5:48 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

7:45 - Finn’s essay and attachment to DONNIE DARKO

14:50 - “The best movie about being a teenager”

25:03 - Where the scientific explanations start to distract from the point of the movie

36:18 - A white boy who wanted to change the world

46:22 - The fear/love spectrum and boomer cope

58:21 - Teens will literally go to therapy and save the world

1:04:12 - The montage at the end

1:07:57 - How this movie moves, sounds, and feels

1:14:32 - The performances

1:20:50 - The Junk Drawer

1:26:35 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 2001

1:31:12 - Finn's Facts