How to live your life, a true path !

Rating: Null/10 (20 May 2003)

Donnie Darko, in its own dark narrative crammed with sporadic moments of
comedy and its beautiful use of camera work is a wonderful tale drawing us into the life of a young teenage kid who's concerns with the world around him are
deeply rooted into and presented to us through his over-sensitive and intelligent character. He knows that people and events that take place around him are
upside down and that he needs to do something about it.

As far as one wants to make sense of a movie such as this, since it is closer to a dream than what may have happened in Donnie's reality: maybe this kid never
left the bed and in an instant of clairvoyance he made his own sense about a
world that just seemed far too messed up anyway. And as he says in the movie, the answer will come to him in his sleep, just before the jet engine lands in his room, killing him just after he has understood "the meaning of life", or at least conquered his fears. Fear is the main theme running through this movie. For
one it is often made reference to in the movie itself; often by characters; such as that of Mr. Swayze, telling people to overcome our fears and become someone
better, only it is not so much understood as overcoming ones fears (which is
what Donnie understands one has to do) more so than repressing them which is
what all these people of this small town are doing. One feels the unease with which the director has made them to appear through their sometimes-desperate
acts in trying to make their lives and surroundings manageable.
Donnie sets out to cleverly unveil and release the peoples' repressed fears with the guidance of Frank the rabbit (somewhat reminiscent of James Stewart in
`Harvey'.
The rabbit is only a 'vessel', the portal an opening to enlightenment, the book about time travel and the old lady are his conjured up signs taking to his
greatest fear and back, quite literally.
And all this comes to him in his sleep, which in turns frees him and ultimately all the townsfolk in the vicinity.
A beautifully filmed dreamlike journey back to the eighties, with plenty of witty and at times dry humor, all tied up with an inventive dialogue, and laying down a great soundtrack listing classic pop and new wave hits from the eighties.
All I've got to do now is go watch it again!!!