Twisted and dark cult film

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2005)

With more than a touch of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Harvey', albeit with a decidedly odd twist, Richard Kelly's debut feature is a clever and thought-provoking piece of sci-fi.
Donnie (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is a troubled teenager in therapy, a schizophrenic with imaginary friends - Frank the evil rabbit - and aspirations to travel through time. Add to this bodily projections carving out each person's path through life, a mad old lady always checking her mailbox, portals, Graham Greene's classic short story 'The Destroyers', a creepy self-help guru (played by Patrick Swayze), and a girl dance troupe, and gel it all together with an 80s score and that famous cover of 'Mad World', and you have a recipe for success.
But does it work? From the strange opening premise, as destruction comes to the Darko house in the form of a fallen jet engine, through to the bleak and haunting finale, it's a valiant try, but for all it's good points, it feels a little sterile and undeveloped.
Familiar faces such as Katharine Ross (The Graduate), Mary O'Donnell (Dances With Wolves), Noah Wyle (ER), and Drew Barrymore add interest, but the focus is strictly on Donnie himself, and he ultimately leaves us baffled.