8 Small Details You Only Notice Rewatching Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko is a vague, surrealistic experience for its viewers; even its cast have went on record as saying they don't fully understand it. One of the main questions that has for long puzzled viewers is just how real is Frank? A comparison between two writing samples featured in the movie can shed light on Donnie Darko's bunny buddy.

In the aftermath of Frank cajoling a sleepwalking Donnie to flood the school, there is graffiti underneath the mascot statue that reads "They made me do it," but it is not the message that is key here, rather the handwriting is something to be kept in mind for reference later.

Later in the film Donnie attends a Halloween party, we see a shot of a note attached to the fridge that reads "Frank was here, went to get beer." Both this and the previous graffiti are written by the same person. This provides viewers with the strongest hint that Frank the Rabbit and Elizabeth Darko's boyfriend, Frank Anderson are the same person. Frank is in fact a Manipulated Dead (somebody who has died in the Tangent Universe but connected to a living receiver).