Donnie Darko is a movie that - quite simply - shouldn't have worked. It's a confusing, puzzle box of a picture, verging on the pretentious; impenetrable to a first time viewer, and increasingly elusive to even long-time fans. And yet writer and director Richard Kelly, who was just 26 at the time he made his debut, somehow managed to craft a movie that transcended the disarray - Donnie Darko is arguably the essential cult sci-fi movie, one that clings to its own, deeply strange mythology and never fails to engage, entertain and mystify upon repeat viewings. Indeed, more than 10 years after its release, Donnie Darko is still as interesting as it ever was. The explain the plot in a few sentences is to do the movie an injustice, but here goes: after a near death experience, troubled teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) suddenly finds himself faced with visions predicting the end of the world, which are delivered via a man wearing a rabbit costume. But the key to the movie's success arguably lies in Kelly's approach to his material; though Donnie Darko is a dense science-fiction film, bringing in themes centered around time travel, existentialism and a myriad of other philosophies, its major draw is in its brilliant exploration of teen angst. You don't even need to care about the plot to enjoy it; and what a soundtrack!
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
