This movie changed my life

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2003)

Why was this wonderful film marketed as a teen thriller? It's so much more...
This movie hit me on so many levels, it would be hard to go into detail without divulging sensitive information about my personal life. That aside, the cinematography is excellent (the Tears for Fears "Head Over Heels" sequence runs through my mind constantly, which brings to mind the excellent soundtrack, such as Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" during a pivotal scene with Gretchen arriving at the party.) The use of the time frame 1988 is a mystery to me, because it is a rather timeless story, and my concern upon hearing this was that the costumers would attempt to enhance aesthetics by outfitting the characters in outlandish 80's regalia. Not so... the students were in uniforms (nice touch.) While it's true their is more fiction than science in this sci-fi-- given: the physics are a little hokey-- I actually like the fact that it leaves "too" much to the imagination. Going into great detail about abstract physics would have completely ruined the point, and refrain from doing so adheres to the point: Donnie's experience transcends known science, and truly delves into the "spectrum" of human emotion that we all feel so intensely as adolescents but can wholly appreciate, despite our repression, as adults.