“Donnie Darko”

2001

R

Produced by: Sean McKittrick, Adam Fields, Nancy Juvonen

Directed by: Richard Kelly

Written by: Richard Kelly

Starring:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Pandora Cinema

5/5 Stars

Consensus: A modern classic, and a personal favorite, Donnie Darko is one of the most thought provoking and memorable films of all time.

Plot: A troubled teen is plagued by visions of a six-foot tall bunny rabbit named “Frank” who tells him the world is coming to an end.

Directing: Richard Kelly’s freshman film is wrought with genius. He has an eye for absolutely everything, and directs his actors accordingly. Considering further that he also wrote the screenplay and that the film is entirely his original idea, the brilliance of his directing is further impressive. Kelly manages to create a world and environment that is deep and thoughtful. All the actors appeared very comfortable in their roles, almost flawless, and all seemed to understand their relationship with each other well. The pacing of the film alone has this wonderful feeling that moves the plot along wonderfully. Every second of this film is gorgeous and its all Kelly’s fault. *****

Acting: Jake Gyllenhaal is so thorough in his performance he as ever branded himself as “Donnie” in whatever else he plays. The perfect blend of angst, frustration, giddiness, and helpless panic are present in what seems to be every second of the film. The actors’  chemistry is flawless too, granted it helps to have your sister playing the role of… well… your sister (Maggie Gyllenhaal as “Elizabeth Darko”) but Holmes Osborne (Eddie Darko) Mary McDonnell (Rose Darko) and a young Daveigh Chase (Samatha Darko) create a family that seems and feels as belivable as if they had known each other for years. Acting is at its finest when actors dissolve into roles, and we are left only with characters that appear as realistic and complex as our actual friends and family in real life, so is the case with this film. *****

Editing: The Director’s Cut especially has brilliant editing; the incorporation of “The Theory of Time Travel” during segments to explain and emphasize plot points was an excellent add-on to the already smart cutting. Perhaps one of the most brilliant moves in modern editing history is made in this film, in an important scene as Donnie is confronted by a teacher who’s views he disagrees with, (Beth Grant as “Kitty Farmer”) we see Donnie on the verge of telling her off, just as he raises his hand to point to her in defiance the scene ends and we are with Donnie and his parents in the principles office. Brilliant moments like this made Donnie Darko as good as it was. *****

Art Direction: Perfectly capturing the nostalgia of the 1980’s, Donnie Darko almost feels like a John Hughes film, it has such attention to detail and time period, you could almost be convinced that Hughes himself lent a hand in the art direction. What the art direction succeeds the most at is creating a feeling of nostalgia for the time period it is addressing. The houses, streets, school, and clothes, all feel and look like what the 80s had to offer. You don’t for a second think that you’re anywhere else. *****

Cinematography: From wonderful swirling shots of Donnie and Gretchen (Jena Malone) on a picnic blanket in a field, to gorgeous close-ups of disturbed Donnie stabbing at Frank (James Duval) in his bathroom the cinematography is gorgeous. Steven Poster was the director of cinematography for the film, he was apparently a later, and welcomed addition to the project and rightfully so, he has an eye for angle and makes every shot breathtaking. *****

Screenplay: Between vulgar dinner-time exchanges and rants on philosophy, Richard Kelly has written a master piece. He managed to capture the obscene dialogue of teenage boys perfectly, while still adding gorgeous and poetic prose on top of all the chaos of high school. One can judge the quality of a screenplay by how quotable and memorable it is. Donnie Darko is one of the most quotable and memorable films of all time. Any die-hard fan will instantly perk up and recognize any of the films memorable lines. *****

CGI/Special Effects: There are few CGI effects and the ones used look fine. As always, less is more in this category. While CGI can be a useful tool, it is only useful when used against a story of depth and sound meaning. In this case the CGI added greatly to the films effect as Donnie digresses deeper into his schizophrenia, or as some may see it, learns more about time travel. In any case, the CGI is extremely tasteful in its use and presentation, and looks just fine, but better in the Director’s Cut. *****