Back to the Future...

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2008)

Donnie Darko is often described as a cult film. But what is it that makes a film 'cult'? Well, they usually have a hardcore fan following formed on the basis of the film having quotable dialogue, memorable characters and/or scenes, a low budget and a rather eccentric plot. Donnie Darko falls into all these categories with ease; especially the latter. It's one of those films that invite more than one viewing, maybe more than two. Or three. And if The Matrix left you asking "what?" and Fight Club left you asking "how?", then Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko will simply leave you asking "WTF!?" It's c-o-n-f-u-s-i-n-g and a little odd but ever since its 2001 release this sombre suburban tale has been striking countless chords amongst mid-to-late teens and sci-fi fans alike. Why? To be honest, there is no one answer. What I can tell you, though, is that Donnie Darko is black, bold and illusively cool; as fresh and provocative now as it was then. Pure independent cinema.
So, what's it all about? I hear you ask (including those who've seen it). Well umm OK explaining to someone what Donnie Darko is actually about is about as easy as mastering a rubix-cube in less than 30 seconds, in the dark, underwater. Admittedly, it's a ridiculously perplex film but there's something just, well, brilliant about it. It's a melodrama-cum-sci-fi- cum-black comedy-cum-teen movie, with a truly mystifying plot that'll prompt all first time viewers to scratch their heads and question everything. And even though there are many who still don't really "get it" thus opting to label "it" as some strange form of sci-fi crap, there are many (myself included) who consider it to be one of modern-American cinema's most understated masterstrokes. OK, so, with that said, here it goes; Set in 1988, the film revolves around this grinning, groggy-eyed teen', Donald J. Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal). Not only does Donnie get into regular trouble at school, he's also prone to depression, schizophrenia, sleepwalking, waking up on golf courses, hearing voices and visualizing a giant bunny-rabbit called Frank. Donnie's one messed-up kid, then, and what-do-you-know- things get even worse when Frank tells him that the world's going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Oh, and there's also this book on time travel. And Gretchen. And Grandma Death. And there're these worm holes that kind of appear from people's chests. There's a tornado as well. And Patrick Swayze plays a pervert. Yep, Donnie's world, or parallel world, sure is a mad one but he tries his best to make sense of his ghostly visions; do they hold any value or truth? Is he a modern-day messiah? Or just plain bonkers? And why has a jet engine from an unidentified aircraft landed his room? The answers do become clear-ish as Donnie unravels the mystery surrounding, well, everything; discovering what he has to do to bring a halt to the madness and ease his pain. Happy ending? Sad ending? You decide.
The real beauty of Richard Kelly's debut feature and perhaps one of the reasons as to why it's so popular is besides its unique blend of every genre imaginable, it's highly ambiguous; a compound prism of manifold meanings and interpretations. Some things just don't make sense and to be honest, its true quality will always be open to interpretation: you'll either love it, hate it, or hate it watch it again and love it. Me? I fall into the latter camp and would venture a guess and say I'm not alone. Which is probably why it performed so badly at the box- office, grossing more in the UK (£1.1m) than in the US ($728k). When Darko became available on DVD, though, word spread of its outlandish quality and it soon became a huge hit among sci- fi fans and teenagers. Why the latter? Again, I couldn't possibly say. It could be because it's rebellious in every sense of the word or because Jake Gyllenhaal is just so damn cool as the sinister protagonist. Or maybe even because the film itself expertly juggles high entertainment value- juvenile humour, endless intrigue, choking suspense- with a solemn tone as it chew on the themes of love and sacrifice, intolerance and depression, fate and redemption. Some of which, are subject-matters many teens know all too well.
To cut a long review short, then, Donnie Darko is a pure and not-so- simple mind-boggler whose sheer weirdness does conceal its brilliance. In spite of its ever growing popularity, there are many who just won't take to it's off-the-wall temperament. Granted, it is a head- scratcher and if you're one of those who just can't bare to watch a film without having those precious answers handed to you on a silver platter, you best steer clear of this one. But, if you like your movies dark, doomy and challenging then may I suggest (if you haven't already done so) that you pick yourself up a copy just to see what all the fuss is about. But do not (and I repeat) do not expect to be spoon-fed the answers. Not all loose ends are tied-up for you and it's up to you, and you alone, to press rewind and tie them for yourself.