Thought provoking, absolute masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2005)

An absolute masterpiece. Donnie Darko is incredibly thought provoking. It is difficult to describe the film as being within the sci-fi genre, as it transcends other genres of fantasy, teen drama, satire, horror, comedy, and thriller. However, if it is to be allocated a place within a genre at a local video store, sci-fi is perhaps the most appropriate. Donnie Darko can not be watched just once. Upon first viewing, you will most likely be so puzzled that you will be driven to watch it at least another two times, and search for possible answers on the web. Definitely this helps, but I don't think Director Richard Kelly himself really knew of a 'set' interpretation of the film. Some interpret it, for example, as a story that begins with a glitch that occurs in space time, requiring Donnie to 'go back and set things right for humankind'. I, however, saw it as more of a philosophical, existential piece on human existence, our role on earth and the existence of god and divine intervention. Basically, if you listen to Kelly and Gyllenhaal's audio commentary, you'll find that Kelly will single out certain parts of the film as 'essentially what Donnie Darko is about' or 'hitting the nail on the head'. These parts, however, are so dramatically different, and this is what I mean when I say I don't believe Kelly knew what his film met, or what the most likely interpretation would be. I recommend the film to anyone. It was severely underrated at its release in 2001, and yet, the acting and script is superb, the score and soundtrack haunting and reflective, the special effects impressive (particularly given the budget of a mere $US4 million), and the plot and hybrid genre is such that you can take a variety of interpretations of the film away from you, but each one will inevitably have its inconsistencies.