Odd, original, fascinating

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2016)

I never had the guts to write a review on Donnie Darko because this movie touched me in such a peculiar way that I thought I could never articulate just how much I loved it.
To me, this movie captured perfectly the feeling I had as a teenager, and the state of mind I was in. Beyond all the trippy aspects of the story, I related 100% with Donnie, his sense of isolation and in a way the fact that he might understand the world who surrounded him too well, or differently than anyone else. In that sense, I feel that the movie depicted very well what it is to grow up, and adolescence in general.
I could debate for hours on the global sense of what the time travel means, but to me that was secondary, and I also prefer the sense of mystery that surrounds the whole film. That anyone can decide whether Donnie is really schizophrenic or does see things, I don't think that it matters here, it's the experience that counts.
There were lots of really hilarious "WTF?" situations that made me genuinely laugh: Donnie waking up from hypnosis is compromising situations, his rant towards Swayze's character, and the infamous Smurfs monologue. And of course, Frank...
Of course, Donnie Darko owes a lot to the great performances from everyone, but the stellar turn of Jake Gyllenhaal (who with every movie nowadays just reinforces what a fabulous actor he is) is everything. He makes Donnie fascinating, intriguing, compelling and just plainly relatable as a character. Several instances in the movie really made me feel for him, but his scene with his Mom, when he asks "How is it to have a wacko for a son?" broke my heart. Fantastic work by both actors. Jake as Donnie is so touching that when the ending comes, accompanied by Gary Jules' cover of "Mad World", you are really, really gripped and moved.
When I first saw Donnie Darko back in 2002, no one knew about it, but now, every 30-something has seen it, and I am really glad that it reached the cult following it did.