Donnie Darko is a thought-provoking, touching and distinctive offering from relative newcomer, Richard Kelly (II). It's 1988 in small-town America and Donnie, a disturbed teenager on medication and undergoing psychoanalysis for his blackouts and personality disorders, is being visited by a being in a rabbit suit whom he calls Frank. It's this anti-Harvey that saves Donnie from being crushed to death when an airplane engine falls from the sky onto his house. This is the beginning of their escalating relationship which, as Donnie follows Frank's instructions, becomes increasingly violent and destructive. Added to this is Frank's warning of the impending apocalypse and Donnie's realisation that he can manipulate time, leading to a startling denouement where nearly everything becomes clear. "Nearly everything", because Donnie Darko is a darkly comic, surreal journey in which themes of space, time and morality are interwoven with a classic coming-of-age story of a teenage boy's struggle to understand the world around him. The film leaves the viewer with more questions that it answers, but then that's part of its charm. Performances are superb: Jake Gyllenhaal underplays the "mixed-up kid" role superbly and Donnie's episodes of angst positively erupt out of the screen. There are also some starry cameos from Mary McDonnell as Donnie's long-suffering mother, Patrick Swayze as Jim Cunningham, the personal development guru with a terrible secret, and Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore as Donnie's progressive teachers. Undoubtedly too obtuse for some tastes, Donnie Darko's balance of outstanding performances with intelligent dialogue and a highly inventive story will reward those looking for something more highbrow than the average teenage romp.--Kristen Bowditch
On the DVD: Donnie Darko is presented in pristine widescreen and surround sound, which is only fitting for such a bizarre and beautiful film. The special features include the standard deleted scenes with commentary, trailers and the like, but the disc also has a wealth of interesting and well-thought-out features: there's a UK graffiti artist gallery with pictures based on the film, a look inside the book The Philosophy of Time Travel and two different commentaries that will help both the understanding and appreciation of the film. The best feature is a bizarre directorial commentary on the "Cunning Vision" film, which is set up not only to ridicule this style of self-help video, but also the trend for director's commentaries on feature films. --Nikki Disney
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