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Donnie Darko

Film // Jim // 18th April 2003

Ambiguity and mystery are the point here. People are never more interested in something as when they are intrigued and want to find out more. Its what pushes page turning novels, drives our need to know all the gossip we can about our friends and is why a good movie trailer is often more entertaining than the film it is advertising.

Strangely ambiguity and mystery are rarely used in modern popular films, no-one is really in any doubt as to how the story is going to pan out after five minutes, occasionally a film will use a mystery as the foreplay leading up to the climactic twist or revelation where everything becomes clear. The Usual Suspects or Unbreakable are fine examples of this sort of thing while the “it does exactly what it says on the tin” James Bond flick Die Another Day is a bit more like a quick wank (shoots its bolt quickly and not the sort of thing you’ll be compelled to discuss with other people afterwards).

To continue an increasingly poor metaphor Donnie Darko is a bit like tantric sex (I imagine), it goes on for two hours, bits of it are in slow motion and there doesn’t appear to be a climax. This doesn’t mean it isn’t a great experience however, it is easily one of the best films I have ever seen.

Right from the start things are looking promising, young Donnie wakes up in the middle of a mountain road, smirks knowingly and starts cycling home to the strains of The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen referenced for humourous post film conversations later on). We quickly learn that Donnie may well be a bit odd, or at least odd things are happening to him. I am not going to discuss the plot at all as there is no point in ruining it for you, the real beauty of this film is that what it is about and what it means are entirely up to each individual viewer. What I will say is that if you are a fan of Phillip K.Dick then you are absolutely going to love this.

I am sure the internet is awash with people who can tell you exactly what they think is going on, and list arguments supporting their version of events. I for one am not going to waste my time and yours publicising any of these cretins as they have missed the point entirely.
On a more practical level the film is really well made, the photography is great, the acting uniformly excellent and the soundtrack is ok as long as you don’t mind Tears For Fears too much. One mysterious question remains, why the repeated shots of Drew Barrymore just standing there doing nothing during the talent show?

There is a web site, you can find it in our links section, it is suitably cryptic.