80's familiarity and Malkavian wisdom

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2004)

Donnie Darko is a film that defies description. A friend referred to it as, among other praise, "highly unique." What Kelly has crafted is an odd sort of masterpiece, one that is thoughtful, philosophical, painful and thought-provoking. I first saw this in theaters, following a poor descriptive write-up outside the theater door. What I found was a childhood that *I* remembered. Not the glossed-over Leave it to Beaver family and childhood, but the 9th Circle oppressive high school experience and a certain mad desperation on the part of the main character. Perhaps that's what draws me most. Characters. Although the temporal loop always leaves me thinking, the fantasy-sci fi element somehow takes a back seat to the question of character motivation and what qualifies as "better off in the end." The parents, instead of being a two-dimensional stereotype, are a real and supportive family. The music is the music *I* loved, brought to life in a proper setting. Joy Division and Tears for Fears are among other musicians that grace the haunting soundtrack. In the end, the parents lose a child. The town loses a citizen they never knew existed. The lead character gains a sense of self-worth and fulfilled destiny while ending a life that had become increasingly painful and tragic in the month behind him as he sees the eye of the supreme being that shapes his life, and an embittered soul is put to rest after a death of bad circumstance. Again, the movie defies description. I recommend just renting it.