Brave but brilliant feat

Rating: 10/10 (24 May 2003)

It is difficult to know where to begin. I suppose by complimenting the outrageous idea of Richard kelly and then complimenting the sheer bravery to realise it and pull it off. I was gripped by the mentally disturbed Donnie throughout (thanks much in part to Gylengaard's performance but mostly to fantastic writing). It's the type of film that demands repeat viewing, basically because the ending is so baffling, so its probably best not to make too much sense of it.Also the use of varying editing techniques such as slow mo, fast forward and rewind adds to the unique effect it has. The genre is difficult to classify with sci-fi, black comedy, drama and even a subtle element of horror (check out the shot of Donnie with the axe and the haunting score deployed at key moments) but again this just adds to the uniqueness of it. This is not the type of american teen film you watch with your mates over cans of lager, it requires a more focused attention than that to be appreciated. And appreciate it I did.