On the Darko side

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 2004)

This movie instantly became one of my favorites.
I think the director assumes that people will perceive his intentions and infer plot meanings more than they do. After the movie ends, it's clear that Donnie Darko is profoundly a tragic hero, but mining the movie for plot points doesn't clear up whether he is a martyr to a plot by Frank; and is Frank his alter-ego, an "angel", or an alien? It seems that Donnie knows he has to die, and though one might look for Donnie to survive in some fashion (after his immense sacrifice), we don't see any way he could survive. So we grieve for his sacrifice, in that he sacrifices himself with eyes open and out of love, with no hope for himself.
For some time we don't know if what Donnie's led to do is right, or meant to injure people - is he a good guy or not? But as it becomes clear that his acts are in concert with synchronized that aids his path, we get off the fence and start rooting for him, whatever may come.
I sympathized with Donnie's psychological "problems", having used my share of drugs and been in mental places, where anyone with such experiences knows how much there is to be known that a person can't easily communicate to "normal" people. So as soon as it becomes clear that Donnie is wrestling with his experiences, I identify with him. Then it becomes a cheer for whatever mayhem Donnie will perform next, eliciting maniacal chuckles when the little electronic-music theme signals that something nefarious is about to happen.
What makes the movie is that process of seeing that Donnie really is a hero and then watching him pursue his course. I wish the movie had been fleshed out more - the editing leaves one to wonder whether the incident toward the end, where Donnie goes to see Grandma Death but is interrupted by the evil high school punks, is a betrayal of Donnie's desired path. We never see him discuss the Time Travel 'problem' with her - events appear to have precluded that important meeting and sealed Donnie's fate in some sense. His taking Gretchen with him at the end seals her fate and his, inasmuch as had he left her at the party, Frank could not have killed her - necessitating Donnie's death to remedy things. Or was he obliged to cooperate with the time line (things cannot be otherwise)? So the plot is somewhat incoherent. One naively wants the hero to triumph and survive, the question is how could he use his knowledge to achieve that end? So, is the story that of his betrayal by circumstance, or by an agent of some kind? Or is the story that of a hero waking to himself with events foreordained? This leaves the movie with no specific resolution.
It's just a story, but the characters are so compelling that I want to resolve that - the true intentions. I'm here on a tangent looking for the book the movie was based on, to understand what the author intended.
All the complaining I've seen in comments here about the movie means nothing as to whether the movie is a good movie. The movie could certainly be "repaired" or improved to clean up the plot - it leaves too many central questions unresolved, dissolving any closure one might expect from an epic. As an exploration of archetypal themes though, this film kicks ass - we are left grieving for the hero who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the one he loves, and I mean grieving - the Mad World theme playing following Donnie's death in review of those people who knew Donnie hits the heartstrings hard; I can't think of many film scenes that cause me to cry for someone's loss in the way this one does. Donnie deserved better and the people around Donnie deserved Donnie, and that's so clear, and that's why it's so sad.
Jake Gyllenhaal was great in this film. I certainly hope to see more of him in future films. Also, the music really makes the movie throughout.