College classics: Donnie Darko

Another film I think most current college students know, and should know, is Donnie Darko. This mind-bending thriller has been a cult classic for a few years. I once had an entire Philosophy club session devoted to it. We'll ignore the bizarre world of Southland Tales for now and go back to this great dark movie, which should be a hit with students for years to come.

From the shadows of obscurity comes one of the most fascinating films of our time. Donnie Darko appears at first to be a demented horror film, but as it progresses, it touches on all sorts of subjects, from social commentary to metaphysics. This unheralded film tells an amazing story about love, fate, and more.

The film revolves around the life of Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled high schooler in Northern Virginia. Donnie has had problems, and his current delusions include seeing a giant rabbit called Frank (James Duval). His mother (Mary McDonnell) wants to help him, but his troubles are deep and hard to solve. Donnie’s psychiatrist (Katharine Ross) tries all sorts of methods to help him.

Strange things happen after Donnie’s first encounter with the rabbit. His vision prompts him to sleepwalk out of the house, and while he is gone, a plane engine crashes into his room. No one is hurt, but if he would not have been led outside, he would have died. Authorities have no answer for how the plane crash happened.

Donnie’s troubled state worsens. Frank begins to visit him more and more often. At school, Donnie must deal with an annoying teacher (Beth Grant), who uses her class time to promote infomercials for local motivational speaker Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze). Donnie finds a love interest in Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone), a girl who has moved to escape her psychotic father.

Frank instructs Donnie to perform several acts of vandalism, all of which lead to bad things happening. Donnie has two positive teachers in school, aptly portrayed by Drew Barrymore (one of the film’s executive producers) and Noah Wyle. Donnie continues to get in trouble for talking back, and his actions lead to Barrymore’s dismissal. His life crumbles, along with his mental state.

Frank’s original message to Donnie is that the world will end in about a month. As the date gets closer, Donnie tries to figure out what this means. He begins to experience other delusions besides seeing Frank, which he discovers relate to Stephen Hawking’s theories of time travel. This is where the film broaches such subjects as time, fate, and predestination.

Without giving away too much, the ending is amazing and a shocking conclusion to the film. Audiences may not understand it at first, and this film may require several viewings, but it says a lot about the deep subject the film touches on.

Jake Gyllenhaal shines as the title character. He pulls off the demented side of Donnie well, along with his more average, teenage moments. Malone and McDonnell perform well as the women who care about him. The real acting treat of this movie, however, comes with all the minor characters, mostly hilarious chariciatures. Holmes Osborne plays Donnie’s aloof dad, Grant is extra annoying as his teacher, and Swayze makes his first appearance in a worthwhile film in a long time.

Writer and director Richard Kelly makes a stunning debut in a major film. Just a few years removed from film school, Kelly fits sci-fi special effects into a relatively low-budget film. He manages to capture the dread that Donnie feels, the ignorance of the community and the school leadership, and the unique relationship Donnie has with both his mother and his girlfriend. It is astounding that a young filmmaker could create a film that breaks so many different genre molds, but Kelly makes it look easy. His film is not only one of the best of 2001, but one for the ages.