Donnie Darko
Directed by:
Richard KellyScreenplay:
Richard KellyCinematography:
Steven PosterComposer:
Michael AndrewsCast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval, Patrick Swayze, David St. James, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (3)
Reviews (14)
Donnie Darko is an exceptionally good film. The story drew me in from the very beginning and it got me thinking about it for a while after it was over. The film has an unsettling atmosphere throughout, with things constantly tangling up and untangling and everything intertwined. The cast gave great performances. I was most surprised by Drew Barrymore – it wasn’t her usual role and I enjoyed how completely natural she was. Although the teacher was just a supporting role, she was quite striking to me. I really enjoyed the film. If I'd rated it less than five stars, I'd have to be ashamed of myself.
()
Hypnotic, captivating, and unclassifiable in genre. It contains sharp satire, elusive sci-fi, and playful originality, yet I cannot convey Donnie to an unfamiliar viewer. It completely deviates from the norm in scenes with the rabbit, excellently builds up the ending, and above all, shows for the first time that Jake Gyllenhaal truly has talent. An unforgettable, although far from flawless experience.
()
This intellectually stupid trend never ceases to fascinate me. As soon as there is a movie with supernatural phenomena, told non-linearly, and, God forbid, with a conclusion without a rational explanation, the world falls into mass hysteria and this place is crawling with full-fledged ratings like ants in an anthill. If I were to see this crap again, they will probably have to take me to the hospital for boredom and lack of originality poisoning. Richard Kelly relies purely on bespectacled intellectuals, who latch on like wasps to candy, and he couldn't care less that this totally disjointed film offers absolutely no rational explanation or meaning (similarly to Lynch, for example). And it's no wonder when it feels that way. A first-class muddled mess without a point. Two stars for a well-portrayed family and Mary McDonnell's performance.
()
An unorthodox story about a high school “geek" is an impressive movie adorned with excellent acting, a well-written and original screenplay and a completely absorbing dense atmosphere. Despite all of this I can’t shake the feeling that from the whole movie somehow protrudes the fact that it could be a tiny bit better than it finally is. I would be very interested in seeing the twenty minutes longer Director’s Cut. If that’s good, I would definitely raise the score to five *.
()
The execution is excellent, but Kelly's storytelling is somehow unyielding. The constant unravelling of new and new mysteries and some good ideas (the scary bunny is brilliant) make it very nice to watch, but in the finale there's a bit of a feeling of over-complication and many of the themes simply fizzle out. An example of what an extremely skilful directorial touch can do with a script that is not quite polished.
()
Ads