With the recent record-breaking success of Spiderman, it is obvious that
America still loves its superheroes. With all due respect to comic book nostalgia,
I usually find myself attracted to more flawed human characters. In Donnie
Darko, the title character is the perfect antihero.
Set in 1980s American suburbia, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a high
school kid with "emotional problems." There is no clear and deserving
shortcut to summarize this film. I can only offer some of the key elements
and hope that you decide to watch it and wrap your own mind around its meaning.
Donnie is a depressed, aggressive, medicated, sleepwalking, hallucinating
adolescent who has visions of an oddly disturbing figure dressed in a bunny
costume. The bunny, who goes by the name of Frank, delivers cryptic messages
and destructive advice to Donnie. Donnie, despite his psychological misgivings,
is extremely intelligent and insightful, almost heartbreakingly so. He is
a "dysfunctional" teenager who recognizes the true dysfunction of
the adult world surrounding him. However, the more Donnie sees the hypocrisy
and false teachings in the world, the more he seems to detach himself from
it.
As part of his quest to unravel Frank's prophetic words, Donnie investigates
the possibility of time travel. This aspect of the film at once confuses and
enhances the storyline, weaving dark comedy and drama with good ol' science
fiction. While Frank's dreamlike presence is unsettling, the "horror"
of the story is mostly cerebral, coming from the fall of our misguided protagonist.
Donnie unwantingly understands the sadness of the world and ultimately sees
his own life as an error. The film itself is an acknowledgment of the complexities
and dark corners of adolescence.
The entire cast, which includes Drew Barrymore, Jenna Malone, and Noah Wylie,
works together in harmony to create the world of the film, but the shining
star is Jake Gyllenhaal. His emotional turns from angst to humor to depression
produced an unforgettable character with depth and compassion. If his passion
as an actor matches the passion that he portrays in Donnie, then
I predict that Gyllenhaal will become a shining star in Hollywood.
While this film is not a scarefest, it does leave the viewer with a subtle,
yet haunting afterglow. It is not recommended for impatient moviegoers because
the mystery of the story does not conclude with a Scooby-Doo style resolution.
You kind of need to let yourself fall into this film. I believe it is one
of those gems that got overlooked: an original, intriguing story beautifully
pieced together that no one has ever heard of. And for the last time, "No,
Johnny Depp is not in it. That was Donnie Brasc
Review by Lisa Bitran
