absolute absurdity

Rating: 6/10 (7 February 2003)

first time writer/director richard kelly has crafted his film "donnie darko" much in the tradition of samuel beckett. the young donnie darko (jake gyenhaal), who has "intimidating" test scores, leads an alienated audience down a dangerous and disturbing quest for god. like the vagabonds in beckett's play "waiting for godot," darko too waits for something to happen. darko waits about a month.
there is a beauty in kelly's certainty, or rather, his comfort in his uncertainty, about the answers to the film's questions. too often, filmmakers seem compelled (maybe by studio philosophers) to solve every enigma man faces. kelly refuses, and instead, presents a challenge to the audience instead of a pacifier.
i appreciate the complexity of the family dynamics. instead of painting a norman rockwell painting of suburban dysfunction, gyenhaal and his real life sister maggie gyenhaal, are in many respects, well adapted and healthy teen-agers growing up in the late 1980's.
the performances are very well crafted and the delivery is unexpected. if you can divorce yourself from the need for resolution, "donnie darko" can provide an excellent spring board for pondering the unknown.