Donnie Darko is by far the most popular underground cult movie phenomenon ever. Within a span of less than two years, Donnie Darko went from an obscure box office failure to the most talked about underground movie. Virtually no one saw it in theaters. Few even knew of it, and given the amount of money that goes into movie promotion and publicity, this is in and of itself a curiosity. Other cult movies are usually known of or heard of by people, like Fight Club, Clerks, or Evil Dead. However, few of Donnie Darko's cult fandom even knew of the movie before someone turned them onto it. And far from being some independent film-maker's B movie, Donnie Darko is a brilliantly written film with strong acting performances and top quality production value. It's amazing how a movie that came from obscurity could turn out to be one of the most brilliant films in the last decade. Donnie Darko is one of the most thought provoking and intriguing films, and leaves such an impression on the audience, that makes it unforgettable and enduring.

THE MYSTERY

No one who has watched Donnie Darko understands it, not truly. And those who think that they understand it, don't. The film has been endlessly debated and argued over in hundreds of forums and websites since it debuted in theaters. What is so captivating about Donnie Darko, is that you don't understand it. It's the mystery that everyone falls in love with. The movie is so complex, and can be interpreted in so many ways, it's an enigma. And nothing could be more fascinating.

In the Donnie Darko mystery, there are few facts in evidence. Most of the theories about what the movie is about, or what happens in the movie, are based on speculation, insinuation, and conjecture. Some theorize that the whole movie, from the first appearance of Frank, is a lucid dream, and that nothing that happens from that point is real. Others argue that everything in the film is literal, and really happens as Donnie Darko simultaneously experiences two realities. Each theory has some validity , but also some inconsistencies.

THE TALENT

Donnie Darko would discover several fine actors with raw talent that breaks through in their performances in this film. Most notably are Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone who play the leads in the movie. Other promising actors that breakthrough in Donnie Darko include Maggie Gyllenhaal who would go on to critical acclaim in Secretary and appear in big budget films such as 40 Days & 40 Nights and Mona Lisa Smile. Another young talent is Daveigh Chase, who would go on to captivate audiences in The Ring. Also appearing are established actors like Mary McDonald of the Academy Award winning, Dances With Wolves, and the cult television series, Battlestar Galactica, as Donnie's mother. Even Drew Barrymore makes a cameo performance, fresh off her comeback performance in the cult horror film Scream. Donnie Darko is one of those films that is abundant with talent, but goes unnoticed because of the true ensemble nature of the film.

Of course a movie called Donnie Darko has to be carried by the character of Donnie Darko, and Jake Gyllenhaal does a spectacular job of this. Jake Gyllenhaal gives this character life and dimension. Donnie Darko is an ordinary teenager who, through extraordinary circumstances, is able to accomplish an extraordinary feat. Gyllenhall captures the simplicity of the character along with the internal turmoil the character faces. The audience is able to relate to Donnie, his family, and personal struggles.

The other standout performance is that of Jena Malone who gives a silent and powerful performance as Gretchen. It is Gretchen that anchors Donnie from getting lost in his dementia. And it is for her that Donnie finds the inner strength to risk his life to save the world. It is the rare relationship that is worth dying for, and many films fail to reach that connection with its characters. But Jena Malone gives a subtle performance that makes the Donnie-Gretchen relationship real and relatable. It is with Gretchen that Donnie finds a spiritual connection and meaning in life. Gretchen's character isn't focused on at length, but Malone creates such a depth of character in her scenes, that her importance and meaning to Donnie comes thought in a very powerful way.

THE STORY

Real or imaginary the story centers around a high school student named Donnie Darko. Donnie is a struggling young man who is going through some personal problems and is seeing a psychologist about them, and taking medication. One night on October 2, 1988, his “imaginary friend” named Frank wakes him out of bed and calls him out of the house to tell him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, and 42 minutes. When Donnie wakes up, he finds that he has been sleepwalking. Upon returning to his house he discovers that a jet engine has crashed through it, destroying half of the house. And mysteriously, no one knows where it came from and the serial number can’t be traced back to any plane.

At school, Donnie meats a new student named Gretchen who has just transferred. After a school prank that floods the school and cause classes to be canceled, Donnie and Gretchen get to know each other when Donnie walks her home. When they get to her house, Donnie asks Gretchen to “go” with him, and the two begin dating. Gretchen, like Donnie, is a troubled soul, a victim of domestic violence having been force to move and take on a new identity after her father attempted to kill her mother.

The visits from Frank start to increase, and instead of just giving Donnie information, Frank starts to tell Donnie to do things, starting with burning down a house, which Donnie does. The visits also become interactive, with Donnie asking Frank about who he is. Frank also introduces Donnie to the idea of time-travel and portals.

With a new interest in time-travel, Donnie starts to explore the idea with his class instructors. One instructor than gives Donnie a book on time-travel that was written by a former teacher at his school named Roberta Sparrow. While reading the book, he starts to recognize that he has seen some of the things being talked about in the book.

When Donnie’s little sister wins the school talent show her and her dance team, Sparkle Motion, are invited out to appear on Star Search. Donnie’s parents chaperone the children on there trip out to LA., leaving Donnie and his older sister, Elizabeth, at the house. While the parents are gone, Elizabeth receives her college acceptance letter and she and Donnie decide to throw a party.

At the party Donnie sees a message from Frank and believes that he can solve the puzzle to all that’s been happening. Taking Gretchen with him, Donnie heads for the house of Roberta Sparrow, who wrote the time-travel book. But when they get there, they are accosted by hoodlums. In the middle of their scuffle, Gretchen is thrown into the street and run over by a speeding car. Looking up from Gretchen’s dead body, Donnie sees the driver of the car step out, and it’s Frank. Donnie then draws a gun that he took from his parents’ room and shoots Frank straight through the eye. Picking up Gretchen’s dead body, Donnie heads back to his house.

When Donnie gets back to his house, he places Gretchen in his car. As he does this, everything becomes clear. Remembering his past conversations with Gretchen, he realizes what has been happening and what he must do to make everything right again and bring Gretchen back. The message from Frank about the world ending was right, it was all a count down to this moment. Donnie then drives up to the mountain roads so that he can watch the world end. Sitting on the side of the road, he watches as a portal is formed over his house, and gains in strength.

All of Donnie’s actions were to get to this moment. Donnie had to set things in motion and start a series of events, from flooding the school, to burning down a house, to killing Frank, all where need in order to create a situation what would allow a portal to form. When the portal reaches full force a plain flies through it and has one of its engines ripped off and sucked down into the portal. When this happens, time reverses itself and everything is reset to the evening before Donnie first met Frank. Donnie is left sitting in his bed laughing until suddenly a plain engine crashes from the ceiling of his bedroom and kills him instantly.

CELLAR DOOR

We all love a good mystery, and the perfect mystery is of course the unsolvable mystery. Some think that Donnie Darko is this unsolvable mystery. Regardless, it's at least a complex and elaborate mystery that leaves itself open to interpretation. And that interpretation in turn tells us something about ourselves. The kind of mystery that Donnie Darko presents is an interactive one that requires the viewer to put themselves into the mystery. There is a Rorschach element to this mystery that lets us see into our own psyche and how we interpret and come to a conclusion.

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