Startling, Unsettling, Brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2004)

Donnie Darko is without a doubt one of the best and most captivating movies I have ever seen. If you have yet to see it, let me preface this by saying--leave your house this instant and see it at once. If you consider yourself at all a fan of the art of film-making, you must watch it. It is a refreshingly original concept done so beautifully and so painstakingly, it is a movie that everyone should at least see once. I found it brilliant, thought provoking, entertaining, and moving; not everyone will. It is a deeper, different type of movie than your typical Hollywood blockbuster--yet for this very reason I recommend it to everyone. See it once and then judge it. But do see it. Truly challenging, exceptional movies of this caliber come along once in a blue moon. I cannot guarantee everyone will like it, but at the very least I can guarantee that everyone will have something to say about it after they have seen it.
I advise people to see Donnie Darko so certainly precisely because it is the kind of movie that took me years to actually see myself. I would hear people talk about it, little by little--mentioning the convoluted plot, the arguments they had with their other friends about what the movie actually meant, or simply the 6 foot tall bunny rabbit named Frank who visits a possibly schizophrenic high school kid to prophesize the end of the world--And it never really occurred to me that this would be the one movie above all others that I should rush out and see. And it was, of course; I wish I had gotten to it back when it was first released. But people can make it out to be so dark and bizarre, not to mention the fact that the original advertising campaign was god awful (the back of the original DVD box likens it to the same sort of movie as "Final Destination", and frankly, no two movies could be more disparate at heart. It's like saying "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is in the tradition of "Rumble in the Bronx"). But I was wrong. For one thing, it is NOT that dark at heart. Darkness plays an important role in the context of the movie, of course. Yet once you understand it, you realize that it really doesn't have much to do with horror at all. There are elements that seem a little scary before you understand them, and there is an inescapable element of tragedy by the end, yet this is ultimately intermingled with so much hope. And that is what makes Donnie Darko so exemplary a movie.
I dismissed it originally as just another failed attempt at being strange and different--come on, I thought to myself! Who are you trying to kid? A movie about a six foot tall demonic prophesizing bunny named Frank??!!??--but I made a tremendous mistake. Donnie Darko is in fact one of the best movies ever made. It IS strange and different, sure--yet in an engaging way that achieves film-making greatness. What is so superb about it, exactly? To be honest, everything. Perhaps what I like best about the film is its depth, a feature appallingly absent from the vast majority of modern films. Donnie Darko is a movie that pulls you in, not only because the world it creates is so rich and interesting and teeming with so many wonderful characters, but because the plot itself is not spoon fed to you. It encompasses a great deal more than first meets the eye, and the viewer can't help but find himself increasingly drawn into Donnie's world, trying to figure out with him precisely what is going on and what it all means. To be honest, I wasn't quite positive of what it all meant even by the end the first time I watched it; seeing it again, coupled with the added information provided by the director's cut, helped it all to make sense. (As a note, I personally felt that the original movie, brilliant though it was, left too may loose ends open to the viewer's interpretation. In my opinion, the Director's Cut provides information that makes the movie far more coherent as a whole. However, both versions are superb, and not everyone agrees with my preference for the DC. If, however, you have seen the original and walked away thinking it all nonsensical and incomprehensible, do try the DC. It renders things much clearer, as does a trip to the website [www.donniedarko.com].) But the movie DOES make sense; those who don't think so simply haven't wasted the effort to figure it out, whether by rewatching the movie, visiting the web site, or trying the Director's Cut. Donnie Darko, despite often being pegged as otherwise, operates in a rational universe where everything adds up to a complete and very intelligible whole. It is simply a matter of piecing it all together, which is, of course, a great deal of the fun.
Even beyond its depth and the fascinating world it affords us a glimpse of, Donnie Darko is amazing for so many other reasons. The satirical look it provides at life in the 80's and the often misguided self-righteous authoritarians found in charge of private high schools--not to mention the way they tend to react against those who stand out from the herd and refuse to conform--is quite telling, and not a little humorous as well. The music is fabulous. It sets the mood for the 80's perfectly, and nearly all the songs were chosen not only because they suit the period, but because the lyrics make sense within the context of the film as well. Very well done. And the film has been put together as all good art should be (but usually is not)--every thread was chosen for a purpose that contributes to the cohesiveness of the whole. This is made clear when you listen to the director, Richard Kelly, in the commentary on the Director's Cut; the numerous subtleties and nuances placed into the movie which all were employed for specific reasons in order to contribute to the plot, its themes, its symbolism, and the overall tone of the movie really are quite remarkable. It is a painstakingly attentive alertness to every detail as a way of creating art which has characterized nearly all the truly great films (as well the truly great novels, paintings, and just about any other medium conceivable), and it shines through in Donnie Darko. The sheer degree of thought that went into pretty much every scene is quite incredible, and while this will not ensure that everyone likes the movie, it is something which just about everyone can appreciate. The cast, as well, was pretty much flawless. Jake Gyllenhaal was utterly perfect in the role of Donnie; Drew Barrymore was brilliant as Donnie's individualistic English teacher; Patrick Swayze was every bit as brilliant in his role as the other two, and was easily one of the very best elements of the movie; and everyone else, quite frankly, was just as magnificent. The brilliance of the cast is yet another reason to see this film as soon as you can.
Finally, I have to say that the overall theme and message of Donnie Darko is superlative. It comes off at first as being interchangeably perplexing, dark or sadistic, but it ultimately amounts to a reaffirmation of the strength of love--love both for that one person who touches our life, as well as love for one's family--and the subtle strand of hope and optimism that permeates even our darkest hour. Donnie Darko is about finding one's place in the world, realizing it is possible to escape alienation and loneliness and find all the brightness that is there if only you are willing to reach for it. It's about taking control of your own fate, searching for some meaning in your life, and doing what is right. It is also about time travel, tangent universes, and a six foot tall bunny named Frank. Honestly, what more could one ask for in a movie?? That said, I think I have made it fairly clear what I think of Donnie Darko.
I absolutely loved it; it stands out to me as the perfect example of what can happen when the craft of film-making is done right. It is at once challenging, fascinating, complex, humorous, confusing, engaging, glorious, tragic, and triumphant. It is at the very least a movie quite unlike any other, and whilst I cannot promise that everyone will like it, be able to relate to it, and ultimately find it as supremely poignant as I did, I can recommend it in good conscious to the highest degree. Suspend your disbelief, turn out the lights, and take a metaphysical journey to the potential end of the world with a misunderstood kid named Donnie and a bunny named Frank. You won't soon forget it. I promise.