Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko, writer-director Richard Kelly's stunning directorial debut, is a film that almost defies description. Equal parts nostalgic rite of passage, time-travel sci fi drama, and behind-the-white-picket-fence satire, this is an enchanting, frightening, and sometimes hilarious journey into the mind of a very disturbed young boy, who might have the fate of the world in his hands.

Set in suburban USA in October 1988, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an exceptionally intelligent middle-class sixteen year old, tortured by visions of a ghostly six foot rabbit called Frank, who may or may not be a figment of Donnie's imagination. When Frank saves Donnie from certain death and tells him that the world will end in a month's time, Donnie's behaviour becomes more erratic and destructive as he attempts to save the universe under Frank's ethereal command.

Kelly gives the film a dream-like, hallucinagenic quality through its cinematography; the one tracking shot, spinning in slo-mo and fast-mo through Donnie's school, is especially impressive. Sequences such as this, echo Donnie's state of mind, and the metaphysical themes put forward in the story. Although aspects of these, including time travel and alternate universes, are discussed in depth, particularly in the discussions Donnie has with his teachers (Drew Barrymore and ER's Noah Wyle),they never bog the film down. A special mention must also go to the superb 80's soundtrack, which eschews more obvious fare for forgotten gems, by the likes of Tears For Fears and Joy Division; and the convincing use of cgi in an indie film whose budget was around $6 million.

Perhaps the best way to describe the film as a whole is that it is a mix of 1980's adventure films - ET, The Goonies - directed by David Lynch. Kelly gives Donnie a solid middle class family unit so favoured by Spielberg, and then contrasts it with the inherent strangeness of the town's hierachy, headed by a wonderfully creepy Patrick Swayze as the local self-help guru. Furthermore, Kelly constantly works the audience, giving them clues and signposts to the story's conclusion, which I'm not going to reveal here, as well as a few red herrings along the way. In such a way, the film provokes debate, a large factor in its burgeoning cult status, particularly in Europe, where the film was successful enough last year to warrant a US re-release.

Overall, Donnie Darko is a film which needs to be seen, and then seen again to be fully appreciated. A complex, genre-bending sci-fi mystery masterpiece, it will keep you enthralled from start to finish, and beyond.