Film review: Donnie Darko
Let me first stress two things.
1) This is one of my favourite films ever; in fact, it ranks second in my personal top five of favourite films. This has been the sixth or seventh time I've seen the film, but the first time I've reviewed it.
2) I do not claim to fully understand this film; all I can and will offer in this review is my interpretation of events. I know for a fact that my interpretations are not 100% accurate, but I stick with them nonetheless, because the film works best that way for me.
Lets start with the ending - this film has the most powerful closing scenes I have ever seen on film. Whether you love this film, or utterly despise it, there is no denying that those last 4 minutes, supported by Gary Jules' flawless rendition of Tears for Fears' Mad World, strike a resonant chord with the viewer and are immensely enigmatic. Each and every time I find myself breathless during that ending.
All kudos must go to the 26 year old (!) writer/director Richard Kelly, who has done something that has always been considered nigh on impossible in these modern days of superheroes and special effects - he has created a film worth talking about. This film is so out in the open, you just have to figure things out for yourself. In this day and age, it's no wonder the film didn't make any money.
A summary, if at all possible: Donnie Darko is a rather disturbed adolescent from a semi-functional middle class family. After closely escaping from death due to hearing and seeing a 6-foot-tall rabbit named Frank, Donnie is led by the rabbit to create havoc that is both destructive and creative. Oh, and he saves the universe - hell, he saves two, but more about that later.
Above summary is incrediblly superficial - I'll give a better one lateron.
The plot is a odd mixture of high school movie clichés, weird hallucinations and a smattering of science fiction; all these elements make up Donnie's world. It's a pop culture masterpiece with a severely dark edge.
The cast could not have been better. Gyllenhaal is a great lead and brings an immense and intense depth to the film; his laid back approach mixed with the dark and haunted looks he can draw upon add to the overal feelings of both menace and reality. The rest of the cast are all great, including Mary McDonnell, Swayze, Barrymore and Wyle, but an extra kudos goes out to Jena Malone, who plays Donnie's girlfriend.
The film looks amazing. On a terribly tight budget, Kelly managed to create a film that exudes the eighties. From the interior of the houses to the clothes the actors wear - it's as if this film was shot in the eighties and left on the shelf for 15 years. This film has some of the most beautiful shots you will ever see; the opening shot of Donnie waking up on the middle of a road is gorgeous; Donnie and Gretchen's first kiss is breathtaking; and when Donnie and Gretchen descend the stairs at the halloween party, hand in hand, faces completely content, you'll feel butterflies in your stomach.
What gives this film its unmistakable retro feel, besides the entire look of the film, is the music. The use of music is astoundingly good – eighties soundtracks may not be a the freshest of ideas, but here it is used sparingly and to great effect. The fact that the music fits the film like a glove is exemplified in those last 4 minutes I mentioned earlier in this review.
I cannot recall a movie in which a song so perfectly conveyed the meaning of a scene, or of the entire film, actually. The song 'Mad World' plays over the last few minutes of the film, and it explains it all. At one point, Gretchen, Donnie's girlfriend, mentioned that Donnie's name sounds like a superhero. And when you think about it, she isn't far off. And if he is, in fact, a superhero, then 'Mad World' is his theme song:
"And I find it kind of funny,
I find it kind of sad,
The dreams in which I'm dying,
are the best I've ever had."
Ok, so what actually happens in the film? I believe that there's one big hint in the film; the fact that The Last Temptation of Christ was playing at the theatre they went to. In that film, released in 1988 (the same year in which Donnie Darko is set), Christ doesn't die at the cross, he lives on. When he finds out that, due to him not dying, the world lives in suffering and pain, he decides to go back in time, and die at the pre-ordained time, saving the world from the aforementioned suffering. Donnie is like that.
He survives something that should, in effect, have killed him. Donnie soon after discovers that his life was not supposed to be saved, and this event has separated the universe into two new ones, the Primary Universe and the Tangent Universe. The Tangent Universe (which we see) is becoming unstable, and will soon collapse and be destroyed (after the 28 days Frank mentions), taking both universes with it. Donnie, the only one with this knowledge, must find a way to go back in time and stop his life from being saved, even if it means killing himself.
At least, that is my interpretation of it. And that took me quite few viewings and some research to form.
Donnie Darko is an unusual film. It spans a number of genres and leaves itself wide open to interpretation. I'll be the first to admit, this film is not for everyone; people will either love it, or despise it with all their heart. If you've not seen it yet, it is best to view Donnie Darko with an open mind and it's best to be prepared for anything this movie is going to throw at you. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who has a taste for dark humour and a desire to put the pieces of the puzzle together over and over, long after the film has ended. This is about as close to perfection as a film can get.
A 97 out of 100.
Cheers
1) This is one of my favourite films ever; in fact, it ranks second in my personal top five of favourite films. This has been the sixth or seventh time I've seen the film, but the first time I've reviewed it.
2) I do not claim to fully understand this film; all I can and will offer in this review is my interpretation of events. I know for a fact that my interpretations are not 100% accurate, but I stick with them nonetheless, because the film works best that way for me.
Lets start with the ending - this film has the most powerful closing scenes I have ever seen on film. Whether you love this film, or utterly despise it, there is no denying that those last 4 minutes, supported by Gary Jules' flawless rendition of Tears for Fears' Mad World, strike a resonant chord with the viewer and are immensely enigmatic. Each and every time I find myself breathless during that ending.
All kudos must go to the 26 year old (!) writer/director Richard Kelly, who has done something that has always been considered nigh on impossible in these modern days of superheroes and special effects - he has created a film worth talking about. This film is so out in the open, you just have to figure things out for yourself. In this day and age, it's no wonder the film didn't make any money.
A summary, if at all possible: Donnie Darko is a rather disturbed adolescent from a semi-functional middle class family. After closely escaping from death due to hearing and seeing a 6-foot-tall rabbit named Frank, Donnie is led by the rabbit to create havoc that is both destructive and creative. Oh, and he saves the universe - hell, he saves two, but more about that later.
Above summary is incrediblly superficial - I'll give a better one lateron.
The plot is a odd mixture of high school movie clichés, weird hallucinations and a smattering of science fiction; all these elements make up Donnie's world. It's a pop culture masterpiece with a severely dark edge.
The cast could not have been better. Gyllenhaal is a great lead and brings an immense and intense depth to the film; his laid back approach mixed with the dark and haunted looks he can draw upon add to the overal feelings of both menace and reality. The rest of the cast are all great, including Mary McDonnell, Swayze, Barrymore and Wyle, but an extra kudos goes out to Jena Malone, who plays Donnie's girlfriend.
The film looks amazing. On a terribly tight budget, Kelly managed to create a film that exudes the eighties. From the interior of the houses to the clothes the actors wear - it's as if this film was shot in the eighties and left on the shelf for 15 years. This film has some of the most beautiful shots you will ever see; the opening shot of Donnie waking up on the middle of a road is gorgeous; Donnie and Gretchen's first kiss is breathtaking; and when Donnie and Gretchen descend the stairs at the halloween party, hand in hand, faces completely content, you'll feel butterflies in your stomach.
What gives this film its unmistakable retro feel, besides the entire look of the film, is the music. The use of music is astoundingly good – eighties soundtracks may not be a the freshest of ideas, but here it is used sparingly and to great effect. The fact that the music fits the film like a glove is exemplified in those last 4 minutes I mentioned earlier in this review.
I cannot recall a movie in which a song so perfectly conveyed the meaning of a scene, or of the entire film, actually. The song 'Mad World' plays over the last few minutes of the film, and it explains it all. At one point, Gretchen, Donnie's girlfriend, mentioned that Donnie's name sounds like a superhero. And when you think about it, she isn't far off. And if he is, in fact, a superhero, then 'Mad World' is his theme song:
I find it kind of sad,
The dreams in which I'm dying,
are the best I've ever had."
Ok, so what actually happens in the film? I believe that there's one big hint in the film; the fact that The Last Temptation of Christ was playing at the theatre they went to. In that film, released in 1988 (the same year in which Donnie Darko is set), Christ doesn't die at the cross, he lives on. When he finds out that, due to him not dying, the world lives in suffering and pain, he decides to go back in time, and die at the pre-ordained time, saving the world from the aforementioned suffering. Donnie is like that.
He survives something that should, in effect, have killed him. Donnie soon after discovers that his life was not supposed to be saved, and this event has separated the universe into two new ones, the Primary Universe and the Tangent Universe. The Tangent Universe (which we see) is becoming unstable, and will soon collapse and be destroyed (after the 28 days Frank mentions), taking both universes with it. Donnie, the only one with this knowledge, must find a way to go back in time and stop his life from being saved, even if it means killing himself.
At least, that is my interpretation of it. And that took me quite few viewings and some research to form.
Donnie Darko is an unusual film. It spans a number of genres and leaves itself wide open to interpretation. I'll be the first to admit, this film is not for everyone; people will either love it, or despise it with all their heart. If you've not seen it yet, it is best to view Donnie Darko with an open mind and it's best to be prepared for anything this movie is going to throw at you. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who has a taste for dark humour and a desire to put the pieces of the puzzle together over and over, long after the film has ended. This is about as close to perfection as a film can get.
A 97 out of 100.
Cheers
9 Comments:
This is my favorite movie and I agree in your version of what happens. I hope you watch the directors cut version.
Besides Mad World, my favorite song is Ave Maria, I believe it's played when he and Gretchen sits in the movie theater.
Awwww man! Now we are talking about a seriously briliant movie! I loved it, and have tried to get my head around it several times. It mesmerises you, and draws you in, because if you miss something you'll be even more confusd than ever!
Oh, shit where's my DVD!!
:D
Hay - I don't think I'll be watching the Director's Cut, because I hear it uses a lot of superfluous scenes to answer some of the question. I (and many people with me) think that Donnie Darko is perfect as it is.
Pep - Wanna borrow mine?
Cheers
You are right that the director's cut version does explain a lot more, but it is not more than you have already figured out. I just enjoy the extra minutes of facination mood you get.
In the director's cut he has also replaced the song in the first scene with the one he originaly intended, which I can't remember right now.
Phi5h - Welcome, mate. Glad I could be of assistance.
Hay - I might check it out, once. I own the original version on DVD, so I definitely won't be buying it, but perhaps I'll rent it some time.
Cheers
Oh, and Hay - I think you'll find that the song you're thinking of, in those opening minutes of the Director's Cut, is INXS' Never Tear Us Apart.
Cheers
Great review, Martin - makes me want to watch the movie again!
To me, the "director's cut" is a good demonstration of how cutting some scenes out can make a movie much better.
But Pearce - this Director's Cut actually adds scenes.
I agree that, usually, the Director's Cut is better than the original, but not in this case, I think. Guess I'm a purist that way.
Thanks for the compliment, and go watch it again, you won't regret it.
Cheers
Sorry, I was unclear. I meant that the scenes they put back for the director's cut showed how much better the movie was without them.
I'm of the opinion that most movies these days are too darn long anyway.
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