Why Donnie Darko’s Signature Rabbit Is Still So Haunting

Some folks might think the film Donnie Darko is a complicated one. But to actor James Duval, that’s not the case: “The movie really is simple. It’s just about love. It’s about possibilities. I’ve always been able to break it down to those two aspects.”It’s actually a pretty good interpretation of the 2001 cult favorite, now back in theaters thanks to Fathom Entertainment. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the pitch-black comedy about a very unusual time for the titular Donnie and his friends and family is rich with details about its spooky storylines. Perhaps the spookiest being the presence of Frank, played by Duval but most often seen in an all-consuming “stupid bunny suit” (in Donnie’s words).Without getting too deeply into spoilers, the movie slowly reveals that the Frank in Donnie’s imagination is a “guardian angel” of sorts (in Duval’s words), helping guide Donnie through the strange days ahead of him. Duval says the first time he read the script, he was “blown away and moved and left pondering,” going back to reread sections to understand it better. It was work that paid off: When he went in for the audition, he was actually asked if he understood the script: “I said, I did. And the...