I just finished watching Donnie Darko for the third time, and it still amazes me.

From weirdfilm.co.uk:

Donnie Darko
Out now on DVD/video





This 2002 film is one of those that you either love or hate. Described as a horror sci-fi teenage romance that explores mental health. This is the first effort from writer/director Richard Kelly.



The Plot



The film is set against the background of the 1988 election campaign in America. Donnie Darko is in therapy and on medication since he set fire to an abandoned house. He is sixteen years old and lives with his parents and two sisters. Donnie is intellectually brilliant but delusional teenager and sleepwalks long distances. When he wakes he finds himself on the local golf course and on returning home, he discovers that an airplane engine has dropped off and destroyed his bedroom overnight.

He finds communication difficult but has started a relationship with a new girl at school where his teachers encourage his interest in time travel. He is having hypnotic therapy from his therapist. Meanwhile, the voices in his head have taken the form of a six-foot evil rabbit called Frank. This monster persuades him to carry out acts of vandalism starting with breaking the school’s main water line and ending with murder. He also lets Donnie in on a secret: the world is going to end before the month is out on Halloween night!

Frank introduces Donnie to time travel and is able to accurately forecast future events. This convinces Donnie that Frank is real and not a figment of his imagination as his therapist tries to convince him.



Filming Techinques



Kelly uses slow and fast motion and rotating camera and reverse time lapse are used to illustrate Donnie’s inner life. He also uses some special effects to create fluid wormhole-like appendages that Donnie sees extending from his body and others. The film is a journey into madness like a hallucinatory trip. It is a difficult film to understand but has extraordinary complexity and fascination. It is impossible to know what is real and what is not. The movie questions everything about life and the universe. It is a film to be watched over and over again and discussed into the small hours of the morning.









Do you agree with this review?

shit, wrong forum.....please move this topic to the General Discussion!


thanks!

right on, a great movie. I don't feel so bad being crazy when i see things like this.

One of my favorite movies! The discussions about this movie can get pretty deep!

abierman said:

" It is a film to be watched over and over again and discussed into the small hours of the morning."

This is the money quote right here. I slept on this film when it first came out...9-11-2001, which would explain why it didn't get much press. I saw it on DVD after hearing a friend rave about it. I have since watched it damn near 20 times or so, and I think it's one of the smartest films ever made. Or at least that I've seen.
I don't agree with the review when they say that it's a journey into madness though...I don't even think I thought of it that way when I first saw it. But everything about the movie is first rate. The music is perfect, the characters are well developed, Donnie Darko is played to perfection. I understood the film much more after getting through the website and figuring out all of the stuff there. One word of warning; if you want to preserve what you got out of the original version, don't see the director's cut. It makes some things all too obvious.

salon.com has like a five page breakdown that spells everything out..

they did the same for mulholden drive too.....

am i spelling that wrong? hmm...

I wonder what David lynch thought of this film and how much Richard Kelly is interested in Lynch. I've tried to come to a conclusion while discussing it with friends many times, it seems that each viewer has his/her own interpretation, which is what makes this film so exceptional to me.

sosgemini said:

you beat me mentioning the David Lynch-link!!!!!

You've noticed I have Frank as my avatar, yes?

Case said:

abierman said:

You've seen the Director's Cut, I hope...Fucking brilliant!!!!!

Case said:

no, I have not.....

Movie is very cool.....I love it!

abierman said:

You must!! You must!!

Case said:

don't get scary on me, Frank!

Over-hyped pretentious twaddle.

BinaryJustin said:

jesus, Justin.....have a taco! :taco:

and christmas is over....get rid of that avatar!

abierman said:

What are you still doing up anyway? Isn't it like 02:11am over there?

abierman said:

I'm undecided on what to have next.

I come in at midnight usually and wind down 4 a while on this org. Plus I ain't got no college in the morning.
[Edited 1/3/05 17:13pm]

BinaryJustin said:

get an easterbunny.....

BinaryJustin said:

yeah man....I was waiting for you!!!

vacation....bored shitless.....spending my money on digital cameras and mobile phones...dreaming about my ex-girlfriend.....feeling miserable....watching Donnie Darko.....that kinda sums it up!

abierman said:

Dude, we should hang out...

Case said:

where you at??

I really liked Donnie Darko, despite the fact that the plot doesn't really add
up when you examine it too closely. The director's cut is even better IMHO,
though I much prefer the music placement in the original cut.

BorisFishpaw said:

I've heard that complaint about the music in the Directors cut.

abierman said:

Toledo, OH. GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!
Actually, I'm planning on moving back to the West coast this year...

hated it