April 2nd: Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko
Released: 2001
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze
Donnie Darko is a trip of a movie. It is difficult to know what is real and what is a hallucination. Donnie, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is a fiercely intelligent and creative, but also deeply broken individual. He has a past of setting fires and disturbing behavior. He sees a man dressed like a rabbit named Frank. Frank tells him the world will end in 28 days. His therapist believes that Frank is a hallucination brought on by paranoid schizophrenia.
Donnie sees the world as a joke, but as the film develops he makes connections that he doesn’t expect. He gets close to the new girl in school, Gretchen, played by Jena Malone. He does have a strong relationship with his therapist, Dr. Thurman, played by Katharine Ross, as well as his friends and family. He doesn’t want this world to end. The twist that comes at the end is definitely unexpected.
Jake Gyllenhaal shows the lead actor potential he lives up to later in so many of the films in his career. He is able to portray both a sensitive teenager and a crazed and violent young man with equal gravitas. While the other actors give fine performances, he earns his spot as the focus of this film. One that with all the bizarre circumstances could be hard to pull off — and he does.
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Small Observations:
- As I said, many of the supporting actors do a good job as well. Especially Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone and Noah Wyle.
- The drawings Donnie does are truly excellent. Whoever the real artist is could have a good show at a gallery.
- I was confused by the relationship with Cherita Chen. I think it is a “pet the dog” situation showing Donnie to be more sensitive to others’ feelings, but I am not sure.
- Sparkle Motion does not have a great performance. Just another thing that Mrs. Farmer is delusional about.
- There is a Director’s Cut of the movie that is twenty minutes longer. According to reviews, the additional material helps the logic of the film make more sense. I will admit the timeline of the film is not easy to follow, so I can see where there could be more scenes to help explain what’s happening.
- MCU actors: 2 but will be 3 when VisionQuest comes out
Overall Rank: A
A very dark and strange film that keeps you confused, but interested, as to what is going on around this kid. Strong performances, especially by Jake Gyllenhaal, anchor the film and make that confusion compelling rather than frustrating. Recommended.
