Great boy. Portrait of schizophrenia. Madness/thought-provoking.

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2006)

Sometimes bad, gorgeous boy (Jake Gyllenhaal), troubled, needing love, lives in a town called Middlesex in the company of his good-looking friends, an imaginary bunny rabbit, and a menagerie of persons representing all that is weird about rich, Republican, religious, pop-psychology-and-snake-oil, middle America.
Watchable numerous times and you still do not get to the bottom of it, this film appears to be a portrait of schizophrenia. Donnie is not the only schizo character, however: there is at least Grandma Death to consider for certification, and we must wonder at the 'normality' of much of the surrounding middleness.
Your reviewer has seen at least two versions of the film. The first is recalled as having captioned quotes from Grandma Death's book at date divisions. The second gives less insight into the contents of the book. The reference to Stephen Hawking's Short History of Time had the reviewer reading that book and subsequently having to live with a brain that has been turned inside out. And then there's the time-travel aspect of the film. You see, if Donnie never left his bedroom when he smiled ecstatically and turned his back to us, and his mother was at the house to witness the accident, then who was it on the plane with Sparkle Motion? Sanity demands an answer.
Initially experienced as 'disturbing' and not a DVD to buy despite the boy, one now regards this film strangely differently, music brilliant, deep by its portrait of trouble beneath the looks. A great addition to the collection of worthies.