A worthy cult film that appeals on many levels

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2008)

I had had this film recommended to me by friends and knew it was considered a cult favorite, but have only just got around to viewing it, thanks to its turning up in a bargain bin at the local discount store.
Though I went in with some preconceptions, not knowing much about the film except its basic premise, I was delightfully surprised by what I saw. Not many films now can take you on a voyage that is so free of clichés, formulas and predictable plot turns, but Donnie Darko does just that.
Despite its faults (and it does have them, including phoned-in performances - thankfully brief - from Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze and the absolutely dreadful Mary McDonnell), this is a whimsical little film full of surprises and twists. It builds suspense with nearly every scene and there's hardly a moment when you're not aching to find out what happens next, and what exactly is to become of Donnie.
This is also one of the few films I have ever seen to deal so effectively with mental illness, drawing the viewer so completely into the world of a paranoid schizophrenic (much as Scorsese so hypnotically drew you in in his bleak masterpiece Taxi Driver) without resorting to being patronizing, sensationalist, exploitative or simple minded.
See this film if you enjoy the kind of movies that explore other versions of reality, whether they be fantasy, horror, science fiction or something else. I think you'll find it engaging, entertaining, enlightening and more. And, like me, you'll probably want to see it again right away...