Author's Pick: Donnie Darko (2001) review
Tom Elce writes about his favourite film Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko
Giant rabbits, jet engines from nowhere and time travel in "Donnie Darko," Richard Kelly's victorious, quixotic and thoroughly captivating debut. An extraordinary, visionary work of cinema that's altogether impossible to break down and analyse without misstep, the film is almost impossible to totally understand yet so compelling in it's every singular second that the impact of it is remarkably profound. A perfect summary is but an impossibility, but, in short, "Donnie Darko" is a staggering, emotionally charged masterpiece that makes it as my second selection for DearCinema's ongoing "Author's Pick."
In a career-best performance pre-dating further superb work in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain" and 2007's "Zodiac," Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the title character, a teenage boy with so-called 'emotional problems' who learns, courtesy of rabbit costume-clad Frank (James Duval) - via a dream/sleepwalking experience - that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. This all as he grapples with his medicated issues, sparring family - older, Harvard-bound sister Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Republican father Eddie (Holmes Osborne), dramatic mother Rose (Mary McDonnell) and aspiring dancer sister Samantha (Daveigh Chase) - dynamic, a fledgling relationship with new girl in school Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone), and the ramifications of his insistence - backed up by what those around him believe to be nothing of substance - that, yes, the world is going to end pretty soon.
Directed and written by Richard Kelly in a manner that irresistibly mixes a gorgeous aesthetic with concise yet intentionally evasive narrative, "Donnie Darko" confuses and perplexes for all it's brilliance. Predicting where the story is headed - and, indeed, how and if the numerous story threads will ultimately collide - is an impossibility. Without giving too much away, viewers will do well to note as many passing moments of dialogue as possible, since much of it, when viewed in retrospect following the masterful ending, has a deeper meaning than suggested (whether with regards to the literal plot or what writer-director Kelly is trying to say).
The characters are an unforgettable bunch all of whom are written with more depth and nuance than most lead characters usually get. Even supposedly minor characters like the obsessively elitist gym teacher Kitty Farmer (Beth Grant) and her inspirational-video idol Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) play a greater part in "Donnie Darko"'s master plan than one anticipates. A scene in which Donnie uncovers a dark secret when visiting Cunningham's house under the direction of Frank is followed up with a desperate, surprisingly wrenching following sequence in which Kitty shows a preference to believe the impossibe over the horrid truth.
Which, basically, is what faces many of the characters, including Donnie's shrink Dr. Lilian Thurman (Katharine Ross), whose concern for Donnie when he begins confiding in her his fears becomes something greater as Donnie continues explaining the predicted trajectory he goes on about. By the time the flawless conclusion does roll around, the preceding minutes have already equated to a harbinger of doom that eventually either force characters to face their escalating fears or frees them from it. Either way, the climax is sobering for all characters involved, and, too, ends with one of the most haunting frames in recent years (if you get the statement Kelly is making, anyway).
Uniformly, the performances are great. Jake Gyllenhaal is without fault as Donnie Darko, whose belief in Frank's ominous warning contradicts his massive desire to actually be proven insane. Whether or not his predictions come true is irrelevant with regards to our feelings towards him. Sometimes overbearing and a little rude, Donnie is nonetheless someone hugely worth rooting behind. Other performances, from Jake's real-life sister Maggie Gyllenhaal as sister Elizabeth, to Jena Malone's impactful portrayal of Gretchen (who, like Donnie, fears for her safety, if for totally different reasons), to Drew Barrymore's tragic Karen Pomeroy, to James Duval's haunting performance as Frank, are almost equally excellent.
Referring to the "quotes" section on Kelly's film's IMDb page, there are lines galore written with more underlying, foreboding substance than anything else frequently seen - and these actually make up a small portion of the film's dialogue. Needless to say, "Donnie Darko" is a phenomenal feat of screenwriting that forms an impossible to shake final narrative, and cements Richard Kelly as one of the most promising filmmakers to have recently broken out.
An oustanding teen movie capable of reaching and overwhelming a much wider audience, "Donnie Darko" goes down as one of my favourite films as my favourite film of the 21st century thus far. Be it in a sequence in which Donnie follows a translucent 'path' he sees extending from his midsection to girlfriend Gretchen, or the hugely upsetting sequence that perfectly compliments that scene and the import it asserts, "Donnie Darko" is a riveting work of art wherein something is always bubbling under the surface of almost every frame.
Provocative, intelligent, quixotic, scary and fully iconic, "Donnie Darko" is an immaculate, stunning motion picture that should be seen by anyone looking for a great cinema experience. As is, the film is that, and also so much more.
(1 vote)
