Donnie Darko - Teenage Angst, Love, Predestination - what more can you ask for?

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

I liked it. You probably won't. It doesn't make sense. But in a way, it doesn't matter. Its a mad world... What is it about? Its a film about a teenage boy who realizes he can save the world by staying in bed and being hit by a falling 747 jet engine teleported from the near future.

Donnie Darko- the hero of the story- is an intelligent kid who has emotional problems but otherwise comes from a great supportive family. He sleepwalks and has weird hallucinative dreams- where a tall man with a hideous bunny mask instructs him to do things and warns about the end of the world.

The script is sublime:
Donnie: How does it feel to have a wacko for a son?
Mrs Darko: It feels wonderful (with a smile, not sarcastically)

Gretchen: "My parents got divorced. My mom had to get a restraining order against my step dad. He has emotional problems."
Donnie (excitedly): "Oh, I have those too!"

Gretchen: "Donnie Darko? What the hell kind of name is that? It's like some sort of superhero or something."
Donnie: "What makes you think I'm not?"

Gretchen: "You're weird."
Donnie: "Sorry."
Gretchen: "No, that was a compliment."

Ah, Gretchen. Why didn't I get a girlfriend like that in High School?... hmmm... maybe because I was in an all boy boarding house school. Damn.

There's also a theological plot behind the whole story (believe it or not).

You can read it here: Lawrence Pearson - at the end of his review.
http://www.locusmag.com/2003/Reviews/Person04_Darko.html

Nikos Kazantzakis' novel Last Temptation of Christ is briefly alluded to in the film-

The book refers to a last hypothetical temptation of Jesus Christ- that the Devil tempts him to come down from the cross, erase all memory of his divine purpose and simply live a normal life as a carpenter, husband and dad. But Jesus ultimately rejects this "false reality" and returns back to the cross to die willingly for the sins of the world.

In the film, Darko, is in a similar position of sorts. At the end he realizes his fate is to stop the end of the world- but to do so - he has to die. To this end, God - disguised as "Frank the Bunny" - gives Darko a month to experience love, sex etc.. and leading him to a place where he knows his divine life purpose and how to fulfill it. What a great story!! :)