A Masterpiece of modern cinema.

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2004)

The thing is with people like Richard Kelly or David Lynch, is that it takes time for their work to surface.
In Richard Kelly's case, even more, since he was a first time director, with a cast of mostly unknowns and a plot beyond comprehension, for some. The masses rejected it, but just like Lynch, Kelly found his audience. Which i now, know, is more than just a cult.
Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhal) is a trouble teen, living in small town America, among other troubled teens. What's special about Donnie is that, he has visions, which kind of translates to him waking up in strange places in the morning and visiting a psychiatrist. The rest of the story is more or less the usual, the new girl (Jena Malone) comes into town etc... Well, the thing is, the world kind of ends and an engine falls into Darko's bedroom. Not so usual. Weirdness ensues...
I won't get into the trouble of actually explaining what it all means. Donnie Darko is one of those awesome movies, like 2001, which can translate into anything you want them to. Obviously, there is some point, which the director intended--(SPOILER)it is all leading to sacrifice(SPOILER), but the rest of the "void", you have to fill in as you like. People have said, it is a meaningless, confusing garbage or something close to that. All i have to say to them is that they maybe can't fill their own void, let alone Donnie Darko's... To me this movie is a real journey(or a "trip" if you like) and as i grow up and obviously watching this over and over, i find myself discovering new things, but ultimately i just discover myself. And that's the beauty of it and ultimately all the movies in general.
I have to mention of course, the work that has been done by the cast and crew. Kelly, for whom i foresee a great future, has a magnificent eye for detail and a taste that even though it did estrange me just a tine bit at first, after repeated viewings, i became really familiar with it. And he certainly knows a lot about how to set the mood for a film, this puppy just grabs you from minute 1 and doesn't let you go... even when it's all over. It also has a very handsome photography, nicely dressed sets, effective special F/X and a cool soundtrack. And of course, kudos to Drew Barrymore for supporting this flick, she did the cinematic world a huge favor and she may have discovered a new Orson Welles. By now, we all know that MAggie and JAck ( Gyllenhal) are the new Joan and John(Cusack) of the decade--able to carry a movie on their shoulders and having the charisma to look adorable while doing it! Basically the entire cast of Donnie Darko deserves a praise, but they are just too many to mention here, great acting all around.
Finally, i just like to say that if you actually have yet to see this movie and you agree that Kubrick is THE MAN, Leone KICKS ASS, Gilliam ROCKS and Whedon is a GENIUS and obviously KElly is the next Welles, then i think you'll just have a life changing experience. If not. Go rent Road Trip or whatever and stop trashing masterpieces like this.
Rating 10/10--Top 20 in my list of favourite films of all times.