More rabbit-holes than worm-holes...

Rating: 6/10 (6 March 2006)

A very good movie, sadly spoiled for me by expectation. I had heard a lot about this movie before I ever saw it. People rubbed their chins and furrowed their brows, and spoke of "interpretation" and "meaning". Oh, I thought, I must investigate this apparent brain-teaser of a movie for myself, and so I purchased the (non-directors cut) DVD, some years after its theatrical release and for a bargain-basement price.
It is a thoroughly good watch, but where was this intellectual mystery I had heard so much about?? And so I watched it again, fearing that I had completely missed some deeper "meaning". Alas, I still failed to find any existential depth. I searched the web, and found a great deal of fan material, all of which seemed to insist that there was some sort of ineffable and profound message hidden in DONNIE DARKO, that only repeated viewings, microscopic scrutiny and intense intellectual and spiritual interpretation would reveal.
No. I'm afraid it was not to be. With Donnie Darko, what you see, is indeed, what you get; A bold, and actually quite effective effort, by a very young movie maker, to bring us a twisting sci-fi fable. Just because some areas of the movie appear veiled in ambiguity, doesn't mean they hide within them some incommunicable truth. It just means that its a work of fiction, and as such suffers from unavoidable inconsistencies, inherent in such flights of fancy. Its not the real world, its not factual, it doesn't obey the natural laws of physics.
Instead, we are presented with a fleeting and very spurious stab at a scientific explanation of "time-travel" and "parallel" universes , i think intended to baffle and misdirect the lay-audience into crediting the story with more intellectual substance than it truly deserves. Dropping in key-phrases like "Einstein-Rosen Bridge", (incidently, an inappropriate reference in the context of the movie plot), does not undo the utter gibberish contained within "The Philosophy of Time-Travel"; the book around which the plot is structured.
(As an aside, I would like to point out that, although some respected physicists have theorised on the idea of time-travel, it really is little more than a romantic notion, that some scientists have had fun with over the years. Infinitely more exciting than visiting our ancestors in a DeLorean, is the simple and amazing fact that we all "travel through time" every moment of our lives!!)
The only aspects of the movie that requires any "interpretation" is this; Is Donnie imagining the events, or is the spectre of Frank "real" within the fabric of the story? Either answer is a satisfactory explanation for a movie of this sort, and neither embellishes or detracts from Donnie's experiences, or our sympathy with him.
There are a few, somewhat, clumsy and sweeping references made to spiritual truth. Such as questioning the concepts of free-will, and does a benevolent deity care about us, but these references are so brief and superficial, and are in no way discussed by the characters in any depth, so it would be wrong to suggest the movie is in the least bit soul-searching.
Instead what we have, is a lovingly crafted "Tale-To-Astonish", nicely written, shot with care and affection on a modest budget, and rather well acted too. Its easy to see why Jake Gylenhaal has become a hot-property of late, he exhibits craft and a screen presence beyond his years. I will go so far as to say, without his charming and eerie performance at its core, this movie would never have received the attention that it has.
No. This movie is not essential source-material if you're after a PhD in philosophy, but what movie is? If you want soul-searching, try reading The Tao Of Physics by Fritjof Capra. But if you want a movie with a little more substance than the usual fare, try DONNIE DARKO. Its really rather good.