Review of Donnie Darko (2001) by Paul R — 17 Jul 2013

I hold this film in very high regard. It is quite hard to categorise. It's a dark and brooding tale of a teenager, it's packed full of interesting relationships and it's a real film about people.

It has elements of fantasy and Horror but the mix makes it almost stand-alone. It's a film for thinkers. It works on so many levels, the cast is superb and all performances are deep and extremely believable.

The story follows Jake Gyllenhaal's "Donnie Darko" - a teenager suffering from severe sleepwalking and delusions. He narrowly misses certain death with the help of a curious and slightly scary man in a bunny suit, who also tells him the world will end in a month.

Confused? Well - you will be. Donnie Darko lends itself to multiple watches and is a film that inspires real thinking as the credits roll. This was Richard Kelly's Directorial debut and put him on the map as a Director to watch.

He has struggled a little to hit the cult success of Donnie Darko in more recent offerings (The Box), but regardless his debut is a superb creation. It will withstand the test of time as a true cult classic.