A perfect twist, and a great deal of thrills

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2016)

Donnie Darko is like Shutter Island. It needs multiple viewings and a good dose of thinking. A lot of now adult critics think this movie is too "above average" for kids who've seen it at 14, but if they're serious enough, they know not to smoke, or say the words included in it. Yes, the movie involves racism and plenty of swears, but if you concentrate more on the mystery and the time travel conspiracies, it's more inventive than you think it is. Basically to put the plot in an easier way, in a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time's Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny.