31. Quotes:
"Go home, and tell your parents everythingll be ok."
32. The 80s
This era has a special place in my heart, and its probably due to Donnie Darko really. The 80s was a distinctive decade and is recreated majestically within the film. The music and the style are transferred well and add to the mood. Its the perfect era. It's reminiscent for those who lived it, and a kind of fantasy world for those who missed it.
33. Cinematography & Art Direction
Richard Kelly made best of a small budget to create something truly cinematic. There is a hell of a lot of camera movement, as tracks and tilts effortlessly follow our hero through 80s America. The loose camera work brings a dream like quality to the film, and highlights the wonderful art direction. The era is portrayed correctly and the director takes full advantage of the fashion and feel of that most famous of decades.
34. Watch, Watch & Re-Watch Again
Like all great cults, Donnie Darko can only be truly appreciated on repeated viewing, to fully understand and take in all it has to offer. I can remember my first viewing, and just been open mouthed and shocked come the Mad World ending. I was perplexed, but thank God for the Internet, as I further researched the movie, and then re-watched again and again, finding out more each time I fell in love with this piece of cinema. Donnie Darko is like investigating an unsolved crime and it's a movie to very easily become obsessed with.
35. The Portrayal Of Teen Life
Darko accurately portrays teen life in ways that most films seem to struggle to do. Kelly establishes his very own 80s Romeo + Juliet and makes hyperbole of teenage life. He takes the troubles of those misunderstood years and escalates them with time travel and one eyed rabbits to make something really down to earth and something you can relate too, yet still entertaining and fantastical.