Directed by:
Richard KellyScreenplay:
Richard KellyCinematography:
Steven PosterComposer:
Michael AndrewsCast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval, Patrick Swayze, David St. James, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (15)
Donnie Darko is probably one of those films that one appreciates fully (if at all) only on the second (or third) viewing. But what good does it do me if nothing entices me to watch it again? I can praise the actors, I can praise the direction and the choice of songs used, but the fact is that this "155th best film" with its boring and bloated "I'm something great, marvel at me" script blatantly disappointed me. A strange piece of work I let pass me by for years... And I was right to.
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The execution is excellent, but Kelly's storytelling is somehow unyielding. The constant unravelling of new and new mysteries and some good ideas (the scary bunny is brilliant) make it very nice to watch, but in the finale there's a bit of a feeling of over-complication and many of the themes simply fizzle out. An example of what an extremely skilful directorial touch can do with a script that is not quite polished.
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Very strong 4*. An excellent psychedelic trip that does not lead the viewer by the hand, cleverly inviting many interpretations, but you don’t need to understand it, just to enjoy it sensually; and you’ll watch it in one breath. What a relieving feeling compared to Kelly's follow-up Southland Tales, where in retrospect one realises how he repeats himself in an embarrassingly awkward way, and where the most you can learn from the dialogues is who has beaten who, or would like to beat who, and who has a big cock and who has a small one. Kelly, get your feet back on the ground or you'll go down in film history as someone who never crossed the shadow of its powerful debut.
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Donnie Darko is definitely not an ordinary movie about a completely ordinary teenager who has no delusions whatsoever about some oversized rabbit. It has an incredibly engaging atmosphere and tries to draw the viewer into the plot, only letting go near the end where the shocking (at least to me) reveal occurs. The actors are great and convincing – especially young Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore. The screenplay is indeed a convoluted and bizarre example of a dramatic mystery, and even though I certainly didn't understand everything that should have been understood, I stand by the fact that this is an original premise full of twists and turns, especially in space-time. And the last few minutes, when we see edited shots of the film's heroes while "Mad World" is playing was a powerful albeit very confusing experience for me. In short, a film that doesn't need to be fully understood, because there is still plenty to think about for a long time.
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An unorthodox story about a high school “geek" is an impressive movie adorned with excellent acting, a well-written and original screenplay and a completely absorbing dense atmosphere. Despite all of this I can’t shake the feeling that from the whole movie somehow protrudes the fact that it could be a tiny bit better than it finally is. I would be very interested in seeing the twenty minutes longer Director’s Cut. If that’s good, I would definitely raise the score to five *.
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Gallery (87)
Photo © Newmarket Film Group
![Donnie Darko - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/722/159722496_0f5b63.jpg)
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