Stories featuring a teenage protagonist is an idea that came a couple decades before the advent of young adult fiction. Maybe by a couple centuries. The vulnerability and innocence of teenagehood is something that most people strongly identify with, for one reason or another. It's one of the reasons why Richard Kelly's DONNIE DARKO became such a cult hit at the turn of the millenium. There are more factors that explain its success though. It's a rather complicated and layered movie that introduced itself quite mysteriously to a market that needed the fresh ideas. Close to fifteen years after its release, DONNIE DARKO still holds up admirably well. In fact, it's aging like a good wine and I believe it could still win audiences today.
Donnie Darko (a young, baby-faced Jake Gyllenhaal) is a troubled young man struggling with recurring sleepingwalking issues. One morning, he wakes up on a golf court, only to walk home and find out his bedroom has been destroyed by a mysterious jet engine that fell out of the sky. At that point, Donnie's psychological issues are going to continue to worsen, and he's going to develop daylight hallucinations of a man named Frank wearing a creepy bunny suit, trying to warm him about the end of the world. Only problem is: is Donnie really hallucinating? Showing tremendous scientific spirit and doubting the fabric of reality that always defined him (mental illness), Donnie is going to discover his destiny.
Yes, I'm aware that DONNIE DARKO is, first and foremost, a movie about time travel. I'm not going to go over this aspect, because it's already well-documented. There are several other fascinating wrinkles to DONNIE DARKO. For example, it's peculiarly shot. I know no other movie that bizarrely bend the structures of Hollywoodian storytelling like this. It's little things, but they contribute to creating this atmosphere of strangeness about the movie. There are soulful, musical moments placed at random during the movie. You know, when time slows down and characters seem to enjoy the music themselves. There are also quick frames that seem to reflect Donnie's inner world (or his visions), that are really easy. Back in the days, I was too emotionally caught up in the movie to notice these details, but they are odd and fun.
Strange frames like this one.
One of my favourite aspects of DONNIE DARKO is the criticism of conformity it offers. I guess you could theoretically chalk it down to the theory of the manipulated living, but Donnie seems like the only person capable of thinking for himself. Adolescence is a critical step in personal development where one learns about his own individuality, about how he's different from the group, and there are key scenes in DONNIE DARKO that speak directly about the dangers of conformity and group mentality. I've enjoyed these very much, because they were tremendously well-written.
Mrs. Farmer (Beth Grant) is the incarnation of conformity in DONNIE DARKO. She's the one who hires Jim Cunningham (the immortal Patrick Swayze), a motivational speaker with a ridiculously simplistic philosophy that wraps the town of Middlesex around his finger because it offers a new an deresponsibilizing output to its residents. The clash between Donnie and Cunningham is spectacular (and maybe pre-ordained), but it offers a couple of life-affirming scenes where Donnie stands up for himself and forms his own thoughts about the human condition in front of torn audience. The lifeline exercise card scene embodies the ideological clash between Donnie and Cunningham in all its splendor.
Say what you will about ''wanting to be entertained'' and enjoying ''shutting your brain off'' but there is nothing like a movie that speaks to you as an intelligent person. DONNIE DARKO is a life-affirming mystery and a rather tragic coming-of-age story about a misunderstood young man who saw beyond the mind-numbing reality of adults. It's easy to understand its visceral appeal and it's also easy to understand why director and screenwriter Richard Kelly was never able to duplicate its success: it's not the kind of movie you can make twice, and it sets the bar extremely high for any sort of follow-up. DONNIE DARKO is one of the most unique, genre-bending films to ever tap into mainstream success. It's one of these movies that sheds off layers and intricacies with every viewing.
