Review of Donnie Darko (2001) by Victor T — 24 Jan 2015

When it comes to directorial feature films debuts, their considerable low budget restricts the director´s potential and it's even trickier if the director also happens to be the writer. There are, of course, a handful of brilliant exceptions to said rule and one of those is Richard Kelly´s "Donnie Darko".

Set in 1988, the film tells the story of Donnald Darko, a schizophrenic teenager who manages to escape death thanks to a man wearing a creepy rabbit costume who tells him that in 28 days the world will come to an end, thus alarming the already paranoid Donnie. But the rabbit man not only alerts him of Armageddon but also starts to control Donnie to commit questionable acts thus alerting his beloved ones.

Numerous films have achieved "cult classic" status but few have become cult phenomenons like "Donnie Darko" which deservedly obtained said status. "Donnie Darko" counts with a mesmerizing, ambitious, clever and extremely well written story; memorable/quotable dialog, a complex and somewhat relatable protagonist, peculiar but fun to watch characters, solid performances by most of the cast with the best being Jake Gyllenhaal in this breakthrough performance for a phenomenal actor, bizarre but iconic imagery, a splendid mixture of various genres (drama, horror, thriller, supernatural and even a little sci-fi dose), tons of well placed symbolism, numerous ambitious themes that work perfectly in the narrative, creative visuals effects that work despite the poor CGI, a perfect use of actually funny jokes, rewatch value where in each viewing you will definitely notice the subtle foreshadowing, spot on use of music, a perfect amount of ambiguity surrounding the entire premise that, a perfect pacing, a well made 80´s atmosphere, and a peculiar directing style that combines David Lynch´s ambition and imagery with a Stanley Kubrick like camera movement and attention to detail.

"Donnie Darko" is an intriguing film that both entertains you and provides a though provoking experience but its required to see it multiple times in order to fully appreciate Richard Kelly´s potential. One of the best independent films ever made and a must see film if you enjoy cult films and/or intriguing premises, but if you are a casual moviegoer who prefers straightforward films; you will struggle to finish this film.