8. Donnie Darko (2001)
It is often said that a book is unfilmable; Trainspotting, A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, American Psycho, Naked Lunch, the list goes on. Donnie Darko might be that rare case of an unwriteable film. Written down, one imagines the story would simply lose what makes the film so endearing for audiences nearly 12 years after its release. It exists solely in a visual realm, and takes on the qualities of one of those dreams that edges closer and closer to a nightmare as the dream goes on That is something that could have only been captured in celluloid form. The film itself is a visual exercise in near-surrealism with an outlandish yet sad tale of a young man, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal in an excellent performance), as he finds his life unravelling after he dodges death after a sleepwalking episode finds him out of his room when an aeroplane engine hits it. Psychiatric encounters, giant rabbits called Frank, and time travel all culminate in an unforgettably touching and tragic ending that once seen, is never forgotten.