Donnie Darko - Movie/DVD Review

28 days... 6 hours... 42 minutes... 12 seconds.
That... is when the world... will end.

Movies are like dancing; some people are good at it, some are creative and flashy with their techniques, some stick to a step-by-step routine of how to dance, while others will take everything they know about dancing and do something completely different, some dance routines make us cry, others make us laugh, sometimes dancing is pulled off by one individual, where others it is performed by 100s of individuals working together.

It's difficult to put Donnie Darko into one of those categories, perhaps because it does a bit of everything, takes you by the hand, spins you around, - your beliefs, the hero and anti-hero mantras - twirls you around and throws you down to the ground in one last hurrah; a final dramatic play that sees your partner fall to the ground while you look on wonder "but what if..."

First of all, Donnie Darko is not a horror, it is not a slasher, it's not supposed to make you jump, it's not an emo flick (unless you mean emotional film; and surely that describes all movies?) so expecting a guy in a mask to jump out and scare you is going to leave you out in the dark with regard to the true genius of this film. I'm not really sure what happened; it's a bit of an indie film - it's not a blockbuster - but once it was released it seemed to take on it's own life (funded by marketing money men?) which saw it being sold to the masses as something everyone can relate with; everyone has an opinion on slashers/horrors; you either love them or hate them.

The Characters.
Truth is, you can't put Donnie Darko into a neat (generalized) genre box; there's no real good people in this film; no hero or savior (though Donnie [played to perfection by Jake Gyllenhaal] eventually becomes that figure). Likewise, there's no anti-hero; not even fruitloop, fear vs. love Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) running a child-porn ring, or Donnie's little dancing sister (Daveigh Chase), or Donnie's older less wiser sister (played by real life sister, the underrated Maggie Gyllenhaal) who doesn't really know what she wants to be; a teenager or a college-bound woman, or his understanding parents (Rose and Eddie played by Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osborne respectively) whom seem to play second fiddle to their three children; sometimes blindly supporting the bad things in their children's lives and seamlessly allowing people to walk over them in the process.

Supporting Donnie's family is an extremely strong and diverse cast; faces we've all probably seen at some point.
The purdy Jena Malone plays Donnie's love interest, Gretchen Ross, who's a bit missed up herself; new girl in school who had to move (and change her name) because her mothers ex-husband stabbed her mother four times. Gretchen's desire is to see the good things in the world; and to prove to herself that the world can be beautiful. Ironically she sees this in disturbed bunny seeing Donnie, who himself is afraid of solitude, confused, but at the same time curious of the world and it's lies.
Speaking of the Bunny, what can be said? Except that it makes for an unbelievable conclusion; having already seen it before I watched it (er.) again, I knew what was coming and the explanation of "Frank" the demonic dummy (played by James Duval) whom seems to be manipulating and pulling the strings of Donnie; with the promise that it will eventually save the world from destruction.
Trying to prove that this is nothing but utter nonsense and to get to the root of Donnie's problems is understanding shrink Dr. Lilian Thurman (played'eth by Katharine Ross - I had no idea that was her, until I looked it up!).


Storyline.
I like to keep things regarding plot, character arcs when reviewing movies mostly vague as I don't like to spoil and so on, I feel it also helps the review itself - it keeps things objective; so I'll keep it vague. Although the basic premise of this film is an old one (to save the world) that isn't really what this film is about. In fact, it's really about how it doesn't need saving (I didn't italicize the wrong word there), as the film presents the theory that we're all on a unchangeable path. Donnie talks to teacher Kenneth Monnitoff (Noah Wyle) about the theories of time travel; Donnie debates that if you can see your fixed path (and thus your future) you could change it. However, Monnitoff explains that this perspective is a contradiction; if you could see your future you could change your destiny, thus it wouldn't be a fixed path. Donnie hits back by saying that view is irrelevant if you could see "God's path".

"God's path" is perhaps the most obvious of the religious undertones scattered throughout the film; redemption, prophecies, destiny, faith, a higher power, sacrifice; these are all covered in Donnie Darko, but it avoids being pretentious in it's content as it never truly answers the issues it poses, it doesn't force feed a truth or single theory. Instead it merely guides you, like Frank does Donnie, and then asks you to choose, or not as the case may be.

Essentially, Donnie looks at the actions he is performing (dictated by the from the future touting bunny) as a means to that end; to change ones destiny. Donnie is terrified that he will die alone, having little or no meaning to his own existence. Dr. Thurman explains; "If the sky were to suddenly open up, there would be no law, there would be no rule. There would only be you and your memories. If this world were to end, there would only be you... and him... and no one else." Although she means this as more of a if your false reality would end... in the end she is right; "Every living creature on earth dies alone." but the thumb print left by the death of an individual is sometimes greater than we could imagine; the people who we've interacted with (little or small) are all influenced by their experiences with us. The movie ends with that note soaring high.

The conclusion to Donnie Darko, sends you on a roller coaster of realization. The pieces fall into place not just for the audience, but for Donnie himself. He finally realizes why Frank has been hounding him, and in a fantastic montage, everyone else realizes what Donnie meant to them. In essence, they are all given a second chance through Donnie's choice and his ability to see "God's path". Most of the characters are like glasses of water; each of them are exactly half full (half good - half not so much). Donnie's 'choice' allowed for those characters to have full glasses, it also gives them the choice, a new set of cross roads which would not have been there were it not for the actions of Donnie.

5 out of 5


Closing words.
Watch it. Love it. Hate it. But have an opinion on it.

Films like this: American Beauty, The Butterfly Effect, Fight Club (according to imdb)...