After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Donnie Darko is an extremely ethereal and surreal experience. I remember watching this for the first time a few years back, and my mind was completely blown. It was so complicated and hallucinogenic that I couldn't quite grasp the intricacies of the plot. Having just watched it again, with an older and hopefully wiser brain, I fully realised the concept and beauty that this film provides. Extremely difficult to describe the story, but essentially a disenchanted teenager miraculously cheats death and is subliminally informed that the world ends in a months time. We then join him on this mind bending journey that, at its core, is a coming-of-age drama. There is so much stuffed into the narrative that director Richard Kelly just couldn't quite pull off everything in spectacular fashion. Slightly over ambitious. We've got but not limited to: parallel universes, time travel, fate, destiny, love, religion, beliefs, depression, coincidental occurrences, hypnosis, dreams, reality, love...it's so huge. But beneath the science fiction facade is a story about love and family and how it transcends both time and space. The Darko's are an unusual family, their banter and sarcasm makes for some witty satire. Donnie himself is a social outcast, he tries to prove that society cannot be classified into set groups and that other factors must be taken into consideration such as human emotions. The narrative is satirical about suburban society and the juxtaposition that the Darko's present makes for some thought provoking scenes. One scene in particular where the "perfect" teacher can't go to a dance competition and so asks Donnie's mother instead. Her initial refusal prevents opportunities for their daughters but the intelligent approach makes it seem like fate. Does God dictate our destiny and set out our path in life? Is the freedom of choice diminished? So many questions raised and the film doesn't answer them, because it wants you to the reflect on them instead. It works beautifully. Not for everybody, but Gyllenhaal's performance and intriguing themes will entice many.
