Donnie Darko

An unorthodox story about a high school “geek" is an impressive movie adorned with excellent acting, a well-written and original screenplay and a completely absorbing dense atmosphere. Despite all of this I can’t shake the feeling that from the whole movie somehow protrudes the fact that it could be a tiny bit better than it finally is. I would be very interested in seeing the twenty minutes longer Director’s Cut. If that’s good, I would definitely raise the score to five *. (14.03.2005)

Hypnotic, captivating, and unclassifiable in genre. It contains sharp satire, elusive sci-fi, and playful originality, yet I cannot convey Donnie to an unfamiliar viewer. It completely deviates from the norm in scenes with the rabbit, excellently builds up the ending, and above all, shows for the first time that Jake Gyllenhaal truly has talent. An unforgettable, although far from flawless experience. (25.01.2006)

It is said that some films age like fine wine, but it is actually more appropriate to say that we appreciate them more or differently as we ourselves age. Donnie Darko is the ultimate eruptive debut and a distillation of everything that its creator had done before. Mainly, however, Kelly succeeded in presenting a multi-layered depiction of growing up through the use of sci-fi motifs and a mysterious narrative. When you’re the same age as the protagonists, you may – like the protagonists themselves – concern yourself the most with finding an unambiguous answer for the meaning, causality and internal logic of the narrative. Paradoxically, with the passing of years, you begin to appreciate the fact that the purpose of all of the fantastical motifs and WTF elements is to enable the film to deal with and expressly depict the broadest possible range of thoughts and emotions churning in the adolescent body. The title character thus attempts to find answers to the existential questions of fate, free will and predestination, he wants to destroy and create, to live and die, he is angry at everything, everyone and himself, but he wants to be loved, or at least to get laid. Kelly created a sophisticated labyrinth full of misleading alleyways that, however, help to further examine the various sides of the protagonist, who, like all teenagers, is the centre of his own world. And that offers viewers several levels of pleasure and engagement, whether as metaphor, story, construct, mystery, projection screen or mirror. Donnie Darko is thus to adolescence what Fight Club is to masculinity. (19.11.2021)

Very strong 4*. An excellent psychedelic trip that does not lead the viewer by the hand, cleverly inviting many interpretations, but you don’t need to understand it, just to enjoy it sensually; and you’ll watch it in one breath. What a relieving feeling compared to Kelly's follow-up Southland Tales, where in retrospect one realises how he repeats himself in an embarrassingly awkward way, and where the most you can learn from the dialogues is who has beaten who, or would like to beat who, and who has a big cock and who has a small one. Kelly, get your feet back on the ground or you'll go down in film history as someone who never crossed the shadow of its powerful debut. (29.05.2008)

Interesting film. Above all, Donnie Darko has a fascinating atmosphere and I don’t even mind that I didn’t quite get everything. I actually doubt it has only one right explanation, I think it’s one of those films that has to be experienced emotionally rather than understood rationally. For the time being, an uncertain 4 stars (I don’t know whether strong or weak), but I might change my opinion when I find time to rewatch it. (11.09.2008)