Abstract
This article considers whether psychotic experience can have a radical or transformative effect on the category of the subject. Using Lacanian theory, I examine Richard Kelly's 2001 film Donnie Darko is examined, in order to consider the extent to which the space of psychosis allows for a more radical form of agency, and whether the act of ‘choosing’ psychosis can have positive and meaningful effects on a restrictive and destructive symbolic matrix.
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Notes
This essay primarily uses the original theatrical cut of the film, released in 2001. When referring to the Director's Cut, released in 2004, a note will be made in the text.
The symbolic ‘choice’ is one of the more contentious aspects of Lacanian theory. See, particularly, Butler et al (2000) for a useful debate on the ethical implications of symbolic contingency.
When referring to Lacan's concept of the Real, I use a capital letter throughout.
It should be noted here that psychosis and the Real are not the same thing. In so far as the Real is a space, and psychosis is a state, the psychotic could be said to live in the Real, and it is from the Real that the psychotic can act and speak.
The film was initially released in October 2001, only a month after the 9/11 attacks, and the use of the jet engine as an object of destruction was received uneasily. Its full theatrical release came a full year later.
Significantly, the book in question is a collection of Graham Greene's (1954) short stories containing ‘The Destructors’, taught in Ms Pomeroy's class, and decried as the inspiration for the flooding of the school. Donnie's response to this story in class is also significant. Asked about the motivation of its protagonists, he says, ‘destruction is a form of creation. They just wanted to see what happened when they tore the world apart’. Given that Donnie's own mission to tear the world apart is born out of heroism, not cruelty or disaffection, in his case destruction truly is a way to create a new order.
If this all sounds confusing, that's because it is. See Geoff King's useful 2007 book on the film for a detailed exploration of the narrative and temporality.
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Radley, E. Where is Donnie? Psychosis and agency in Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. Psychoanal Cult Soc 17, 392–409 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/pcs.2012.36
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/pcs.2012.36