Donnie
Darko (2001)
You would expect a film called "Donnie Darko" to be
dark... and indeed it is. Stepping over the threshold
of teen angst into truly troubling manic depression
and schizophrenia, the film becomes the blackest, most
complex and troubling teenage film since "The Virgin
Suicides." Like that remarkable film, "Donnie Darko"
also deals with school, sex, the meaning of existence
and, most importantly, death.
There are two perfect moments in a film filled with
wonderful scenes. Early in the film, writer/director
Richard Kelly sets a segment to the song "Head Over
Heels" by Tears for Fears. Kelly uses almost the entire
song and plays with teenage sexuality, repressed sexuality,
exploitation of children as sexual objects, teacher/student
relationships, teacher/teacher relationships, school
bullies and school pride in his images. He does this
with almost zero dialogue, using images to say much
of his themes and ideas here. His images often turn
from slo-mo to rapid paced fast-forward to accentuate
his ideas. It's a marvellous and effective part of the
film and really sets up the audience for the story that
is about to come.
Another great moment comes much later in the film,
a single Q&A line of dialogue in a rare tender and quiet
mother and son. In the scene, the troubled Donnie asks
his mother, "How does it feel to have a whacko for a
son?" To which the mother replies, after a short pause,
smiling, comfortingly, "It feels wonderful." It's a
really touching moment in the film because the pause
between question and answer is just long enough for
us to ponder what the reply will be and see that there
can be no good answer. Then, in a moment that can only
exist between a mother and child, the remarkably perfect
answer is given. Beautiful.
"Donnie Darko" is about a troubled teenage boy who
cannot seem to cope with life. Worse yet, he has a imaginary
bunny rabbit named Frank (actually a man in a rabbit
suit) who wakes him in his slumber and talks him into
doing horrible things. This effect may seem silly on
papae, but Kelly makes it work very effectively.
Donnie's homelife may not be perfect, but it isn't
really so bad. He fights with his sister and deals with
parents who want him to get therapy, but there is certainly
no abuse or real angst going on here. Donnie's troubles
may be chemical imbalances, so he takes medication which
doesn't really seem to help. It's important to note
that usually directly after he takes his medicine, he
sees Frank.
The script by Kelly is simply fantastic. One gets
the impression that this film is very autobiographical.
It would be easy to assume that Kelly wrote this script
as a teenager and then reworked it as a less troubled
adult. Set in 1988, the film talks of the relevant issues
of the time and is sated in the medical treatment for
mental illness that became so popular in that decade.
"Donnie Darko" is a period piece from a period only
13 years ago which already seems so far removed from
our modern lives. "Donnie Darko" is pre-Clinton America.
And that was a different world. "Donnie Darko" also
has, what must be considered as a sort of influence
from the 80's film "Back to the Future." It is very
sublime, but it is there.
The cast here is marvellous with Jake Gyllenhaal as
Donnie performing with utmost perfection. Gyllenhaal
may not be the first choice of many to play Donnie,
given his more normal films of the past; one might expect
someone with more dark attitude like Brad Renfro or
Brendan Sexton III to play this role, but Gyllenhaal
performs here with the gritty surrealism the film requires
while still retaining his boy-next-door exterior and
demeanor, an important part of the role.
Mary McDonnell is also on target as Donnie's mom.
The final scene with McDonnell is devastating. Drew
Barrymore, who also produced the film, is phenomenal
in a minor role as a teacher struggling to be true to
open-minded education. She is really awesome here. With
hair long and dark, Barrymore reminded me of all those
former hippie children teachers I had in the 70's, teachers
just this side of Bohemia. When Barrymore's teacher
assigns Graham Greene's "The Destructors" as required
reading, it shows us exactly what kind of teacher she
is. She thinks. She wants to open up her students minds.
It's a wonderful and well written role. Meanwhile, Noah
Wylie, Jena Malone, James Duval, Katherine Ross and
Holmes Osborne also star in the film and perform admirably.
But special mention must be made of Patrick Swayze.
Like Barrymore and Wylie, Swayze surely made concessions
and must have had a true love of the script to appear
here. His role is quite amazing. I wont give away all
that happens with Swayze's Jim Cunningham. Suffice it
to say that Swayze plays a cheaper, more obviously flawed
version of the Tom Cruise role in "Magnolia." He plays
a motivational speaker who really, really oversimplifies
life. Again, this character fits very nicely into the
80's milieu that Kelly establishes here. This film is
nothing if not 80's.
Kelly, in his debut here, proves himself a talented
yet accessible filmmaker. Not as quirky as Lynch, P.T.
Anderson or the Polish Brothers, Kelly is nonetheless
cinematically inclined. His use of slow-motion is breathtaking.
Kelly also knows how to use the camera and editing to
create irony and angst as much as he does so with words
in his script. And his use of music is perfection. Kelly
proves himself here as a brilliant filmmaker who is
surely capable of creating brilliant and textured films
for years to come.
"Donnie Darko" is deep and complex and dark and troubling
and melancholic. It's teenage obsession with the meaning
of life and, more importantly, the meaning of death,
leaves one feeling vulnerable and sad. This may very
well be the most death affirming film since "Harold
and Maude." And like that film, it's affirmation of
death leads, logically, to an affirmation of life.
See "Donnie Darko" alone. And be prepared to spend
some time alone after the film. Drive home from the
theater with the radio off. This is a movie you will
want to feel - and will feel - a long time after you
leave the theater. This is a movie to savour.
Note:
Also with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake's sister, playing
Donnie's sister.
Other music that is important in the film includes
an Echo and the Bunnyman song (which opens the film);
the Joy Division classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart;"
Duran Duran's "Notorious," which is used for comic effect;
and The Church's dark classic "Under the Milky Way"
which compliments the films hauntingly troubled images
and themes.
The film also references "Married... With Children,"
"Evil Dead 2" and "The Last Temptation of Christ."
This Film Reviewed
from the 2001 Austin Film festival!
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Report
Card
Script:
A+
Acting: A+
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A+
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