Completely unique

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2008)

Donnie Darko is, well, a perplexing film. Trying to describe the full plot here would be nearly impossible.
Let's just say it centers around a teenager who is nearly crushed by a jet engine that lands in his bedroom after falling off a passing plane. After this, very strange events begin to occur. As if a jet engine crashing through his ceiling wasn't surreal enough, he starts to get disturbing prophecies from a guy in a demonic bunny suit. He notices "ripples" in reality and begins reading obscure astrophysics texts about time travel and fate. My interpretation is that some sort of rip has occurred in time and space. It seems he was supposed to be crushed by the jet engine, but wasn't in the right place at the right time. Somehow, by cheating fate, he has entered a tangent reality. For the remainder of the film, Donnie is trying to figure out exactly what's going on before the "real" world comes to an apocalyptic end. There are plenty of other interpretations, including that maybe none of this ever really happened. Maybe it all occurred in Donnie's dying mind as he was crushed by the jet engine. Alternatively we learn that he does see a psychiatrist, so perhaps he's mentally disturbed and this has all been some sort of fantasy. It's impossible to say for sure. Be wary of anyone who claims to have figured out what actually happened. I'm not sure the film gives the audience enough clues to make a definitive hypothesis. It's a fascinating plot that's sort of like a Rubik's Cube you can never solve.
In the process of hatching this intricate and baffling plot, the movie is wonderfully atmospheric, creepy, funny and clever. It's sort of a mix of different genres, and does them all well: teen, sci-fi, horror, fantasy and dark comedy all rolled into one. I'm not sure what the filmmakers were trying to say. Perhaps something about fate or destiny? Something about self-sacrifice? I can honestly say I have never seen anything quite like it. How many movies have you ever seen that separated themselves from the pack as one-of-a-kind? Just on that basis alone it's worth watching.