#427: Teenage Dreams, Pt. 1 — Donnie Darko

The horror-inflected suburban setting of the new I SAW THE TV GLOW — not to mention writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s own comments on their inspiration — put us in mind of Richard Kelly’s 2001 cult classic DONNIE DARKO, which also follows a teen protagonist struggling to maintain their grip on reality. We’re joined once again by writer, critic, and friend of the show Emily St. James to discuss how our relationships to both that teen protagonist and the movie named for him have shifted over the years, the film’s prescient religious and political undertones and the intentionality thereof, and why so many of its mysteries remain more compelling without clear answers. And in Feedback, we travel back a few episodes to revisit both a scene from Alex Garland’s CIVIL WAR and the discourse it provoked.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DONNIE DARKO, I SAW THE TV GLOW,  or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [e-mail], or leaving a short voicemail at [phone]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices