A possible Donnie Darko reference to 2002
Donnie Darko the film features a recurring scene consisting of fast-cut composition of various overlaying elements atop a large pupil. One of these elements appears to be a stack trace/core dump for some kernel.
Upon taking a closer look (by pausing the movie) I discovered the following frame:
The image doesn't show very clearly but the most important text is copied below:
Kernel version:
Latwin Kernel Version 6.1:
Fri Sep 6 23:09:31 PDT 2002; root:xnu/xnu-344.2.obj-1/RELEASE_PPC
Aside from the obscure "Latwin" kernel which I can't find any info on (looks like an Apple based system though), the date Fri Sep 6 23:09:31 PDT 2002 is of higher relevance here.
To my knowledge the movie was produced in 2001 and the frame itself was taken from a director's cut (which should be even older than the final cut?). Edit: Turns out the director's cut was released in 2004. But it does seem strange to have added scenes post-final cut that were produced between the actual release (2001) and the director's cut (2004). Does the kernel dump appear in the original theatrical release?
Is the year 2002 here meant to be some reference to the future? Though, in contrast to the 1988 setting, it does seem quite irrelevant. Or am I over-thinking it and the computer that produced that kernel dump just had a date/time setting off by 1 year?
P.S: Information on the particular "Latwin" kernel would be nice too.
Best Answer
OK, here's what I could find out:
I'm going to say that this is specific to the Director's cut of the film.
Here's why...
This site goes second by second describing the changes between the original and Director's cut (DC).
Search for "8:53 min. - 9:21 min."
Here they introduce that the eye is completely added to the DC:
After the dawn of the new day (2.10.1988) via text insert the DC features a long sequence of blackscreen with threatening sound-effects, until eventually Frank's ghost-voice announces: "Wake up!" After that, we see a closeup of an eye with an expanding pupil. Then, for a millisecond, Franks rabbit-head is cut in (like in Fight Club). The transition shot of the Darkos' house is much longer in the DC, too.
From now on, the eye always symbolizes the tasks and abilities which he gets "implanted" by Frank.
Now, search for : "113:38 min. - 113:45 min."
This shows a nearly identical image to your screen capture and states that there are 7 extra seconds:
The eye again. This time accompanied by a countdown from the off.
So, now we know that the eye was completely added to the director's cut of the film...
Does the content mean anything?
So, what does the content mean, if anything?
Well, turns out it doesn't really mean anything... Here's the actual content of a similar error with the same Kernel identifier:
Kernel version:Darwin Kernel Version 6.1:Fri Sep 6 23:09:31 PDT 2002; root:xnu/xnu-344.2.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC
The 2002 date refers to the build date that that particular version of the kernel was built, which is identical to the build date mentioned in the linked Apple forum discussion.
It seems that someone found this Mac OS 10.3.x error text and decided to use it for the graphics. They did make the (probably smart) choice to change "Darwin" to "Latwin" to avoid clashing with Apple's litigation team. So the content and date mentioned have nothing to do with the film (assuming the director didn't actually create time travel).
This was also discussed briefly on this Reddit thread.
Pictures about "A possible Donnie Darko reference to 2002"
What year does Donnie Darko take place?
Set in October 1988, the film follows Donnie Darko, a troubled teenager who narrowly escapes a bizarre accident and has visions of Frank, a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume who informs him that the world will end in just over 28 days. Frank begins to manipulate Donnie to commit several crimes.What was Donnie Darko based on?
The explanation heavily revolves around the book Donnie gets from his teacher, "The Philosophy of Time Travel" written by Roberta Sparrow (Grandma Death). The book is a fictional one but some of the pages were in the film's web site and included into the director's cut version of the movie.What state is Donnie Darko set in?
The film is set in 1988 in 'Middlesex, Virginia', but was filmed entirely around Los Angeles. 'Middlesex High School', the school attended by Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is Loyola High School, Venice Boulevard just east of Normandie Avenue, midtown.How many timelines are in Donnie Darko?
There is a total of 2 timelines that we observe in Donnie Darko. The primary timeline, is the one we see at the beginning of the film, starting from Donnie waking up in a random location, biking his way back home. We continue seeing this timeline until the night he first sees Frank.La Filosofia di Donnie Darko - Spiegazione del finale
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