Donnie Darko is wonderfully strange

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2019)

Donnie Darko directed by Richard Kelly is a drama/fantasy/teen flick/thriller/science fiction film... and some how, its actually works. It follows Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Donnie Darko, who is tormented by hallucinations of a man dressed in a bunny suit. These visions manipulate Donnie to commit a series of crimes, as repayment for being saved from a life threatening accident. The peculiar nature of this film, truly sets it apart within the world of cinema, making it one of the most memorable movie experiences I've ever had. This film is so incredibly entertaining, mainly due to the perfect line delivery and performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. The entire cast has a level of peculiarity which just makes them so compelling to watch. I particularly love the unconventional cinematography which further emphasises the bizarre tone of the film, as well as the integration of an iconic soundtrack which sets the context and tone of the fictional world. Donnie Darko is wonderfully strange. But beneath all its weirdness, its actually really emotional. Every character is completely human and at times can be very relatable. The film has an underlying tone of sadness throughout, making it such a complex story with a lot of depth. Yes you might not get all the answers by the end of the film, but I love the fact that I can invent my own theories and explanations which allows the movie to make sense to me. Donnie Darko had me fixated on the screen for the entire runtime, and had me pondering about it for a week, so therefore I give it a 10.