Where would you place Donnie Darko on the Fear-Love spectrum?

Rating: Null/10 (24 October 2002)

**Warning Many Useful Spoilers**
I honestly don't remember puberty being so emotionally or
psychologically distressing. And it wasn't but Donnie Darko is a
film that effectively uses hyperbole and metaphor to tell a story
about the coming of age of a suburban teenager.
Donnie (Gyllenhaal) is a seemingly disturbed individual with
emotional problems  he sees a therapist and takes medication.
One night a menacing voice of an imaginary rabbit commands
Donnie to get out of bed and leave his house. The rabbit tells him
that the world will end in less than a month's time. When he
returns home he finds his room destroyed by a jet engine.

Donnie believes the imaginary rabbit  named frank  saved his
life and now feels obligated to obey his will. As such the Rabbit
tells him to commit destructive but imaginative crimes, but these
crimes have positive consequences. After flooding the school he
meets the love of his life, Gretchen (Malone).
The theme of the main plot in this movie is elaborated in the
Cunningham (Swayze) sub plot. Cunningham is a cheesy self- help spokesperson who preaches that one can only be happy and
fulfilled if we overcome our fears and embrace love. This is the
dilemma that faces Donnie and it is his true test of maturity.
Donnie's emotional problems, which blow-out into paranoid
schizophrenia, is simply an exaggeration for the confusing and
difficult emotional hurdles of puberty. Donnie is in denial of the
final hurdle: the choice of love over fear. In so doing, his fears
swell, which become personified by Frank the evil Rabbit.

The story becomes convoluted and circular with the integration of
time-travel. Yes I did say time travel. Donnie becomes convinced
that not only can one travel through time but that one can also see
into the future. This plot seems completely ridiculous but it
becomes instrumental to understanding the ending and, indeed,
the whole movie. Professor Monnitoff (Wyle), Donnie's science
teacher, makes the point clearly: we do not have a set path or
destiny, rather we are given a choice of many paths to take.

Thus, Donnie is given two paths. The first, to be ruled by fear and
let fear destroy everything dear to him. This is the path that is
shown by the film. That is, his fear, personified by Frank the
Rabbit, rules his life and inevitably leads to the death of the two
main loves of his life: his girlfriend and his family. Or he can
choose to die alone in his bedroom by a stray jet engine. But
Donnie is not alone and never was. It is once he realises this that
he comes of age, faces his fears and chooses death.
Donnie Darko is magnificent film driven by a strong theme and
complicated plot. But lets not forget the superb cast. In particular,
Gylenhaal, as the emotionally confused and troubled teenager,
and Malone, as the depressing and vulnerable love interest, are
completely convincing. McDonnell after her stint in ER is now firmly
entrenched in the superficially pretentious mother typecast. It is
certainly an impressive supporting cast with Barrymore and Wyle
playing teachers at Donnie's school.
Richard Kelly must be considered a writer/director for the future
considering this is his debut. It is certainly a slick film with
interesting camera angles and effective editing. What is the
greatest achievement of this skilled director is his ability to create
an appropriate brooding mood. The scenes with the rabbit 
particularly the cinema scene  is eerie and tense.
I can't fault this film but it is not for all to see  an inevitable cult
classic. It is esoteric, complicated and thematically driven. The
cast is and direction is brilliant. A cocktail of ingredients rare to
Hollywood.
All in all 10/10.