A Review of the Film Donnie Darko

There are many reasons for a person to watch a movie. Most people watch a film for the sake of entertainment, namely to unwind from their daily bustle. Others watch movies as a hobby. However, not many people watch films for the sake of the using the film as a medium of contemplation or thought development. "Donnie Darko" is a film that could be utilized for the latter purpose. Considered a cult classic by many, misunderstood by others, there's no arguing that Donnie Darko (2001) is one hell of a film. Is it a horror film? Is it a psychological thriller? Critics have been trying to label this film ever since its release but it is difficult. The film does deal with some quite horrific ideals but it's not scary in the sense of jump scares and popcorn flying out of buckets. With its irresistible misery and twisted plotline, it's a film that can be re-watched over and over again whilst still finding more underlying messages to love and understand.

Set in sleepy Middlesex, Va., in the late 1980s, the film follows the strange encounters of a pseudo-schizophrenic teenager, Donnie Darko (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), who is haunted by nocturnal visits from a bizarre rabbit. More simply put, "Donnie Darko" is the story of a boy who, with the aid of a 6-foot bunny from the future, sets out to save the world from its death sentence on Oct. 30, 1988. After a 747 jet engine inexplicably falls through Darko's bedroom, the film diverges into a world of complexity, embracing the controversial theories of time travel and wormholes.

The film is, without a doubt, as intriguing as movies come. There is much that goes unexplained, though. Kelly labors to fuse science fiction with foreboding comedy and though the setup of the movie is enthralling, the upshot is less so. Kelly spends the entire film weaving together different ideas about loopholes and time travel and though entertaining, the distorted narrative spirals beyond comprehension. The movie builds up to a point where everything you thought you knew is wrong. Kelly undoubtedly executes the climactic scenes with great prowess, but by the end of the film, there is a sense of emptiness-it almost feels like the film isn't over.

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What's so enthralling about this film is the way it manages to combine so many different topics while still having a distinct purpose. Kelly manages to combine romance, reality, the future, time travel, mental illness and horror into nearly every scene, which is important and necessary for the conclusion of the film to be understood. This perhaps explains why it has so much of a cult following and why it continues to maintain such a respected cinematic status. Despite its somewhat puzzling ending, this doesn't take away from the rest of the film; it instead adds to it and makes you want to watch the whole thing again, which is the definition of a brilliant film. You are left with so many questions that all you can do is sit in silence and contemplate over everything that occurred in the movie. Overall it's a film that will stay with you long after the final credits roll. Donnie Darko has a concept and plot surrounding it that can be without a doubt considered unique.

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