Donnie Darko
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 (2)
Plots(1)
Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days, 06 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank’s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum. (Arrow Films)
(more)Videos (3)
Reviews (14)
This intellectually stupid trend never ceases to fascinate me. As soon as there is a movie with supernatural phenomena, told non-linearly, and, God forbid, with a conclusion without a rational explanation, the world falls into mass hysteria and this place is crawling with full-fledged ratings like ants in an anthill. If I were to see this crap again, they will probably have to take me to the hospital for boredom and lack of originality poisoning. Richard Kelly relies purely on bespectacled intellectuals, who latch on like wasps to candy, and he couldn't care less that this totally disjointed film offers absolutely no rational explanation or meaning (similarly to Lynch, for example). And it's no wonder when it feels that way. A first-class muddled mess without a point. Two stars for a well-portrayed family and Mary McDonnell's performance.
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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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Hypnotic, captivating, and unclassifiable in genre. It contains sharp satire, elusive sci-fi, and playful originality, yet I cannot convey Donnie to an unfamiliar viewer. It completely deviates from the norm in scenes with the rabbit, excellently builds up the ending, and above all, shows for the first time that Jake Gyllenhaal truly has talent. An unforgettable, although far from flawless experience.
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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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Interesting film. Above all, Donnie Darko has a fascinating atmosphere and I don’t even mind that I didn’t quite get everything. I actually doubt it has only one right explanation, I think it’s one of those films that has to be experienced emotionally rather than understood rationally. For the time being, an uncertain 4 stars (I don’t know whether strong or weak), but I might change my opinion when I find time to rewatch it.
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