Hello, Friends! I watched the movie Donnie Darko (2001). The film is as old as the courtesan profession. I don’t usually write reviews of old movies, but this movie is special. I would even say phenomenal. Everything in order.
The film is the directorial debut of American Richard Kelly. It is noteworthy that at the time of filming he was only 26 years old. I'm 26. Hurtful. However, after Donnie Darko, the director never shot a single remarkable work. Sorry. There was potential. The film is characterized by genre uncertainty. At first, this is a common teenage story with drugs, dirt and vulgarity. But then the picture grows into a philosophical intricacy of fates and stories. The film goes at a leisurely pace and it is characterized by a very oppressive atmosphere. I rarely watch such a movie in one. Stupidly boring. But Donnie Darko is a movie that hasn't let me go for a minute while watching and hasn't let go yet. Strangely, in 2001, I did not know about this movie. And thank God, at the age of 11, I would have understood absolutely nothing except the credits. Now Donnie Darko is “pushing” most of the movie public social networks. Guys, if you lived in a Tibetan cave like me, take your women and men and watch a movie! He's amazing!
I will describe the film in two words. Teenager Donnie Darko suffers from bouts of aggression. He's seeing a psychologist. He fights with his family. Smoking schmal. A standard person aged 16. But then, as a result of strange events, Donnie miraculously escapes death. This is where the “magic” of the film begins. Darko learns that the Apocalypse will occur in 28 days. A harbinger of the Apocalypse can be considered Rabbit Frank. Very colorful character. His strange and frightening orders. Further consequences. And in the end, enchanting, absolutely unpredictable and crazy ending. Yeah. A film from the category of strong cinema.
The cast is very colorful. Everyone played as the director wanted. Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Donnie Darko. I don't like this actor. Even after watching this movie, he didn’t change his mind. But he plays like a king and a god. Denial is pointless. Emotions, madness, love, passion. You believe it. His partner will be actress Jena Malone. She also starred as the quiet, somewhat strange girl Donnie. Their on-screen love really touched me. I cannot explain why this is so.
The film is filled with brilliant quotes, situations and images from our daily lives. That's the whole point. It does not motivate, but makes you think. And capital. I think everyone will see something for themselves. I saw the main idea of the film for myself. A thought I've been going to for years. If you have your own unique opinion, you will be alone. After all, most people around think with a collective, externally imposed opinion. Don’t be afraid of judging others. People around here are full of a lot more shit. This is clearly shown in the film.
“Why are you wearing that stupid rabbit costume?”
Why are you wearing that stupid man costume?
It is worth noting the extraordinary music and effects in the film. I have always said that the soundtrack to the film is a very important moment. That's a third of the movie's perception. In Donnie Darko, it's also at the top level. Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules-Mad World. This makes her even more heartbreaking.
Who hasn't watched? Those who have watched, share your views. Film at the Olympic 10 balls!
Speaking about the person of the American director Richard Kelly, it is impossible not to talk about his original and fantastic style of writing scripts and making his own films. Though Richard has only 4 full-length projects (plus one short), each of them has something of its own, no less relevant than in any other film of almost any master. For example, in the same “Premise”, the adaptation of Richard Matheson’s story “The Button, the Button”, Kelly perfectly created the atmosphere of the 70s, endowed it with live characters and a corresponding, unpredictable atmosphere of horror, which the viewer will feel already when reading the synopsis. But I propose to go back to the past, in the distant year 2001, when the star of the unknown Richard Kelly was just lighting up, and his debut project called Donnie Darko helped to get deserved fame and the rank of a real professional.
Strange things happen to 16-year-old Donnie Darko – after he falls asleep, when he wakes up, he finds himself in different places, both far away and close to home. One of these "leaves" saves the guy's life when one day a jet engine hits Donnie's room. From this moment, miraculously saved, the hero discovers the gift to change time, to see what is beyond the control of others. In addition, his friend, a two-meter rabbit Frank, assures Donnie that the end of the world will soon begin.
For the then debutant Richard Kelly, this project was a weighty argument to prove his skill, because another chance could not be. But still, he coped, and even how – the film turned out just fantastic, holding in suspense action thriller, filled with a bunch of unexpected turns. Kelly’s style is amazing – throughout the film, he sends the viewer, along with the characters, and the cinema to the Evil Dead session, to the talent hall where Sister Donnie performs, and to school classes, and of course to time travel, which is one of the main aspects of the tape. The picture is great, you want to watch it again and again for different things - in order to enjoy and be surprised by the plot twists, that would plunge into the atmosphere of unpredictability, the atmosphere of a real, chilling thriller (which is the sight of Frank alone), in order to better understand the picture, when you re-view everything on the shelves and even more admire the work of the master. Original, unusual, intriguing, the script of the same Kelly is full of both reflections and unpredictability of this or that action, the viewer simply will not be able to predict the end, because the plot is so twisted that you will only have to guess about the fate of the characters. Amazingly, Richard blends both science fiction and religion into his creation, not showing the dominance of just one side, but dividing them equally, leaving the viewer in the spotlight. The script, like the film, is amazing, detailed, competently put this or that situation, action, even any friend of the replica is made not tyap-gap, but thought out. For a reason, the writer dilutes the loneliness of the hero of the love stories: here it is necessary to smooth out, fully understand the character of both Donnie and Gretchen. The characters are made neatly, standing out in their own way. This is especially evident in Donnie, in the way he changes throughout the plot, becoming more obsessed, even mad. And here is exactly what love for Gretchen is needed to show his heart, purity of soul, to show that there is a person in this world who will understand you like no other person on the whole planet Earth. The script is great, there is nothing more to say. The film was directed by Stephen Poster and he did his best to fully understand the director’s style and thoughts. The picture for the most part is very gloomy, sometimes escalating into a depressive, but holding the atmosphere until the very end. You cannot single out any particular scene, because the whole film turned out to be just such an unusual, mystical, tense, fearful of what will happen right now. With such mystical camera work perfectly interacts with the music of Michael Andrews, emphasizing the magic of each frame, full of tension. Brightly pasted in the music list of the British band “Tears for Fears” called “Mad World”. The track approaches the right moment perfectly, expressing in addition to the emotional load, a share of reflection, slowly letting the viewer go into his usual state, since this composition sounds in the very junction that opens the door to the truth.
The actors also worked superbly on the appropriate pace. Of course, a huge share of what happens on the screen takes Jake Gyllenhaal. As the main character, he perfectly gets used to the role of Donnie, working through his image, settling in this image. It turned out exciting - from an ordinary guy Jake begins to regenerate into a madman with bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, wandering in his world, eager only to learn the secret of time travel. What is worth that crazy scene where Donnie smiles ominously with a knife in his hand, trying to break through the field created by Frank? Jake Gyllenhaal is the face of this film, the face of the real, subglacial Donnie Darko. It is funny that Maggie Gyllenhaal is also involved in the project, who is a sister not only in this film, but also in real life. Good work on his image and Jena Malone, came in a couple to Jack. Together they managed to create a real connection throughout the picture, this connection I want to believe. The cast here is chic, full of stars like Drew Barrymore, who is also an executive producer, Patrick Swayze and then just beginning Seth Rogen. Bright, atmospheric, high-quality acting!
The film was presented at the Sundance Film Festival, which can already be called a great achievement, received the audience award of the festival of fantastic films in Sweden, became the winner of a similar festival in France, a special prize from the American Academy of Fiction. The film received one award (Young Filmmaker's Showcase) and one nomination (best special DVD - edition).
Total:
“Donnie Darko” is a sensational breakthrough in the career of Richard Kelly, both a great director and a great, smart screenwriter. This success, the master must share with the cameraman Stephen Poster and composer Michael Andrews, as well as in all other hardworking, including the beautiful cast, made the film as it can be seen today. The film leaves only positive emotions, for which I want to sing praises to every person, from little to great, participating in the project. This is a great work that you just need to get acquainted with, and it is advisable to watch in the director’s version for more understanding. It is worth recommending to fans of unusual, atmospheric, high-quality, incredible cinema, fans of the cast, as well as to all those who are interested or did not dare to see this creation.
Thank you for your attention and pleasant viewing!
Donnie Darko is a movie that evokes ambiguous emotions, but, without a doubt, catchy. Most movies are forgotten immediately after viewing or five minutes at most, but this movie is one of those that you never stop thinking about even a few days later. I will not hide, the film remained unclear to me, and even after reading a few explanations, it was not possible to build a clear picture of what happened. Most likely, everyone will see something close to their heart. But, in any case, I can not recommend this film, because it is quite paranoid and it has its own specific atmosphere, not everyone understands and not everyone is attractive.
The film tells about a teenager named Donnie Darko, who is schizophrenic and suffers from numerous hallucinations. The film begins with Donnie’s unusual dream, in which he is informed of the number of days remaining until the end of the world. However, from the very beginning, I had a thought: which end of the world is it? Was it the end of the world for all mankind, or the end of the world for the individual or the family? The answers here, of course, do not lie on the surface and those who are counting on a light popcorn movie should immediately refuse to watch.
The atmosphere of Donnie Darko resembles something well-known, but unloved by me film - Mulholland Drive. However, unlike the above-mentioned film, I loved everything in Donnie... from the plot to the crazy music. I was unable to stop watching and as if the bewitched stared at the screen for 2 hours. Even long philosophical reflections do not seem superfluous, but on the contrary add a certain charm. In particular, there was a dialogue about rabbits, about fate, about the meaning of life. Such thoughts have arisen in many teenagers – I am also one of them – and thus I had the opportunity, to some extent, to plunge into the past and together with the main character to try to understand and solve a certain mystery.
There is not much to say about the cast, Jack Gyllenhaal has eclipsed everyone and everything. In Donnie Darko, he proved himself as a top-class actor (which he is). His eternally sleepy, extinct eyes, sometimes lit up with devilish flames, tantrums, tears - in a word, he demonstrated life, not play. Donnie in his performance turned out to be extremely charismatic and attractive, despite the seemingly strangeness and detachment of his character. Donnie Darko is the epitome of teenagers whose feelings are filled with fears, fears of loss, fears for the future, fears of being alone, eternal questions about the origin of being also fill their heads, especially if there are no cases that could fill the gaps. The director himself admitted that the film embodied his fears and phobias, which were elevated to the level of a grotesque and seasoned with mysticism and atmosphericity.
Also, I would like to note the magnificent pumping music that changes throughout the film and sometimes causes quite sad feelings.
"Donnie Darko" is a depressing gloomy film, which is designed for a certain category of viewers, thanks to whom he gained high ratings. If you personally convey my feelings, then, of course, the film fascinated me and impressed me, for what reason I did not even manage to understand, but subsequent revisions, on my part, the film is provided.
What you have in your head and you will see in this film. However, as well as in any other
I very carefully select films for viewing, since most often now even in “places of enlightenment and awareness” the fullest Hollywood murmur is PR, which in principle can be watched, but there was no sense in these hours – either in the toilet with indigestion failed, or “masterpiece of world cinema” I watched.
The first review I read about the film was about something depressing, played up, causing distrust. I decided not to pay attention and just look.
Even I — very inattentive and do not remember any names in the movies, was able to follow the film and even feel a little of this atmosphere of connectivity!
Philosophy in every minute, in every action.
Does fear seem to drive the main character? Nope. Not fear. And not love. This is the totality of the whole person, since there is neither bad nor good (and we and you may not actually be).
Not for a moment seemed boring or dull, not a single detail noticed did not seem superfluous.
Joy for the author, his first creation is a real child. Such careful preparation, actors, lights, music, in general, every object in the scenes was in its place.
When I saw my mom reading King in the first few minutes, I just volunteered with the film. It is a great pleasure to have "shot a gun out of the first scene," as some very famous man once said of a theater whose name I do not remember. Although in this film, the little things did not "shot out" later - they fired immediately or even a little earlier, before their appearance in the frame.
It pleases the weaving of philosophy, physics, esotericism together at once. Water in a dream, a lot of wood, the door to the basement, the connection with the father - so deep, so pleasant.
At first, there was fear of the rabbit. There was a thought, suddenly it will be crammed in to “scare, cause emotions”. No, they immediately made it clear that the rabbit and Donnie are the same.
According to the comments of different people, according to their reviews, it is immediately clear whether you would be friends with this person or not, you can immediately see "what the author breathes."
A kind of indicator of humanity, that's what I would call this movie.
I once went to the page of a familiar blogger - she had no updates for a long time, traveled abroad (she has been a model since childhood), posted her videos from Seoul, then from Paris. Suddenly she stopped. Employed on contracts, I thought. I didn't. The girl was depressed. It's normal when you're 17. In her collection there is a photo where she sits on the windowsill of the 9th floor, fearlessly hanging one leg out, and the knee of the other pressed against her chest, looks at you through the eyes of an angel. Before her peers in this state wrote nervous poems, not showing them to anyone. These are different times. Today, depression is written openly, and the network instantly replicates it to thousands of subscribers. Talking about her illness, the lady blogger mentioned the film that supposedly cures her - "Donnie Darko." I found the picture, looked at it, and now I am trying to piece together disparate impressions. The film is hard, frivolous, with unacceptable dialogue - the first thing that comes to mind after five minutes of watching. The language of the sailors on deck, not the good family at dinner. (Suck the bolt, my sister says to my brother.) My brother calls my mother a bitch. Barely held back so as not to shut down the broadcast. However, it was only a joke to lure a young viewer - then it got better. By the end, it even became interesting. Remember your school years, when you wanted to compose a caustic epigram (anonymous, of course) on an unloved teacher or a sarcastic speech in the wall newspaper. The language and many dialogues of DD are slang (the lexicon of American high school students), which makes it not like a movie product familiar to Hollywood. This is the main feature of the tape.
So, a small American town. A typical picture is a minimum of cars, a complete absence of fences, well-groomed lawns. Speaking of fences. Here they grow like mushrooms after the rain - stone, tall, not a fence, but an ancient Chinese wall. There is something to hide, the country is evil (especially in the provinces). Watchdogs bark at passers-by without seeing them but listening to their steps like undercover CIA or KGB agents. Okay, let's not talk about it. Let's talk about them... There's a sixteen-year-old boy living in that town. Until recently, he was a normal kid until he hit his head on the pavement. I fell off my bike. I got really bad. Ear-eared rabbits often flew to his house in the evening. They talk about the end of the world, even call the exact time. Tell me who they won't believe. They did not believe him, his parents and friends. No way. Rabbits do not arrive in vain, they save fuel. And not everyone talks about the end of the world. They have a good reason for the bruised on the head to tell their secrets.
I thought, in what kind of pub can you come up with such a story and what kind of whiskey to drink, so that such a scenario with hops hits the head – when you are a novice director, essentially cinematic greens? I remembered the debut of young Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, how they wrote the script of their first film (" Good Will Hunting) - and after all, immediately soared to heaven, immediately received an Oscar for him. But that's different. There is one significant fact that brings both debuts closer together - in each the main character is slightly not of this world and a psychologist is engaged in each.
Actors are on top. Familiar faces. Patrick Swayze, for example, although he did not get the most grateful role, some viewers watch the picture for him, it is true. The popular Drew Barrymore surprised. The actress likes to be in the spotlight of any movie she is in. But here is a subtle mouse, a serious, staid English teacher, what would that mean? Maybe she understood: if she pulls the blanket on herself, she will eclipse the hero - the leisurely half-sleeping life of a teenager with sluggish schizophrenia. And extras – high school students aged and with the faces of bandits from the big road (I would not like to study with such in the same school). Against their background, Donnie Darko looks quite a normal guy, if you do not take into account that from time to time he floods the school with water or sets fire to the house of a local showman - but this is an illness or revenge of wounded pride, the diagnosis will put the viewer.
I watched the movie knowing it helped me get out of depression. In the beginning I believed in its importance. And the blogger believed - she is at least a girl nervous, but with a fine organization of the psyche and is able to instantly distinguish false from the original. Mademoiselle received "DD" enthusiastically. I'm more reserved in that regard. But if the tape forced someone (without dinner and without drinking a glass of yogurt for health) to abandon the delusional idea to shook from the 9th floor in the sky - after all, we are not angels and rabbits - this is already good. The main meaning: much in life is rectified if you understand what the problem is and return to its original solution. Donald Darko has done it - he has sacrificed himself for the welfare of the people he loves. It was a good idea, even though it was a bad idea.
The movie looks interesting, that's true. At the end of the day, you think you’ve seen something like this before. And the rabbit doesn't look pretty. No wonder the boy quickly defeated him and sent to preach delusional ideas in another part of the world. Whether to the ancient Chinese wall, or to our fences, along which walk and wander, fur on end, undercover agents - back and forth, back and forth ...
The evening is the time to get acquainted with interesting films. And, suddenly, my choice fell on the Richard Kelly film “Donnie Darko”, because it is already recognized as a kind of classic of the zero years.
Frankly, I expected a little different from the movie. I wanted more eccentric brain-running events, I wanted more pretentious, but we were given a rather measured narrative, divided into days. On the one hand - and OK, more lyrics, and on the other - "Damn, something is missing..."
However, the makings of deep meaning, of course, there are. More than that. The film is extremely reminiscent of the later work of Maestro Lynch, where it is openly stated about the presence of subtext, and the viewer can only solve it! The film is scattered with references, hints and other things that may remind you that you are not so much watching as solving another film. It will certainly not be allowed to walk your thoughts...
Despite this, there is a place to be a love story, and simple everyday moments, which helps to consider the protagonist, and the film as a whole, from different sides. Yes, of course, the film “Donnie Darko” can be safely recognized as a creation of its era and against the background of other silportreb creations, it stands out quite clearly.
On causality and cruel determinism. A stone in the garden of the free will of man, anthropocentrism.
Billions of bullets fly at the protagonists and none gets caught by surprise, but they dignified to get out. Fate does not exist for movie heroes, most plots are a movement towards happy ending. But here this pattern is broken. To me, the hero dies immediately, but the rest is a psychedelic dialogue with death.
The film reinterprets the ephemeral expression "never give up." The motto of sheep who step on the same rake, because they are not able to accept the cause-and-effect relationship and draw conclusions.
The intricately connected world around me irritates Free Will—I set a goal, so I will.
Fight like a fish on the ice, about the goal, without analyzing the reasons why you do not reach them. Don’t let go of first love simply because it means giving up, keep recovering at the institute knowing it’s not yours, but quitting is giving up, continuing to try to put a triangle in a circle and teaching others.
When will I find a husband?
- 4th grade.
The main thing is not to give up, no matter what.
By many criteria, the main character gives up, but this is only in a 2-dimensional idealistic space, in a diverse reality, he simply finds new goals that mean more to him than the previous ones, according to the possibilities that he has.
Stubborn idealism is opposed to critical thinking. Everything is much more complicated – every action has its own reasons and motives. Proof of this is the vandalism of Donnie, who tests the system for reaction, bringing moralphages to clean water. They, in turn, do not want to leave the primitive vague formulas of their philosophy, moving along the path of dismissals and bans of books.
9 out of 10
The truth is simple, and it's not new, but. When we leave it, considering it old and irrelevant, we have to rely on the play of reason. Of course, the play of the mind of the directors of this film was quite extraordinary, while the actors either believed the director and the idea of the picture or just used to play at the level, but everything looked very strange in a good way, as said the beloved girl Donnie. But without delving too much into the philosophy of the film, I note that the spiritual forces, addressing with some mission to the biblical characters, did not drive them to madness, did not confuse them in fear and did not lead them into the labyrinths of time, just gave clear instructions on how to help a particular people. However, here Donnie, no matter what it was, looked the most sincere, and the director made it feel sicker than the audience when we tried to add twice two and it turned out seven, then zero. It is not the patients who are sick, but the society. This was also felt in the film.
Of course, there are many people in the world who look like outcasts, eccentrics, but they do not go with the flow, but show the world that you need to live for the sake of life itself, and not for the sake of someone telling you that this is black and this is white. But still it is a crazy, crazy world (as the song sang) that does not see us, but only ourselves in the race for nothing to nowhere, so this world will become complete and understandable if we understand that everything new is a well-forgotten old. The truth is one and simple.
And what's funny, creating this picture, Richard Kelly may not have been looking for much meaning, just amused with the game of his imagination, and the audience will still think how to fold it, to believe that two and two can be as much as you want. And with the other world, games are bad, if there is no faith in God, then who is contacted? Although, after the plane engine falls into your room, everything can be, there is no longer up to logic. It all started with the song Tears For Fears – Mad World. Such feelings are not uncommon.
The genre of teenage cinema in the eighties and nineties of the last century underwent so many changes, experienced many significant milestones, that at some point it seemed as if the new century had nothing left. Is it possible to repeat the romantic trick of Lloyd Dobler? Dance in front of a mirror like Ferris Bueller? Win a woman's heart like John Bender or a man's heart like Cat Stratford? Go against the system like Mark Hunter did? No, of course not. Director Richard Kelly understood this perfectly and decided to take a fresh look at the genre. His big feature-length debut, the film “Donnie Darko”, came just in time for the start of zero and became a sudden, very pleasant revelation for fans and not only. Growing up on the melodramas of the eighties, the young director spit on the foundations and generally accepted plots, making his hero absolutely unlike those who are remembered when associated with school, youth romance and the first significant life discoveries. Therefore, and in a row with those full of light sad pictures, you will not put it. Then what time? You can't tell right away.
Already at the level of the question: "What is this about?" - Kelly's creation receives a number of interpretations. Of school problems, first love, first suffering, right. About how a person goes crazy, pursuing the goal of saving loved ones is also true. The end of the world, yes. The good and... But enough of the general things. A film about our fears, doubts and adversities is a more precise and narrower definition. And there is no reservation - it is about ours, because only the most callous and independent person can not put himself in the place of the main character. The springboard for the creation of the script was Kelly's memories of school years, and not those from the cinema, but those from hard life. Squabbles with classmates, misunderstanding of parents, questions like: “Who am I?” and “Why am I on this Earth?” – all that went through. Someone, like Christopher McAndless, sees the way out in odious actions, someone waits for everything to work out on its own, but Kelly just focused on his favorite business, which eventually brought him success and world fame. The script for Donnie Darko is the best he’s ever written, and one that many people don’t like. Catch one wave with the director at the first viewing is quite difficult for quite understandable reasons - the brain is not very eager to understand everything that is happening, and the film at first seems simple and does not require significant mental costs. However, the further into the forest, the more clues the viewer receives for his own interpretation (of which there is certainly more than one). Closer to the middle, interested people are “on the hook” – and then Kelly gives out such a volley of all sorts of chips, references and just successful plot moves that the film finally leaves the category “for teenagers”. Smart, unprecedentedly honed and polished for the debutante script, in which there was a place for the thriller, and detective, and drama, and of course fiction, gives unprecedented food for thought both during viewing and outside it. Needless to say, in cinema, as in football, the most interesting thing is the conversation after.
But this film is not a single script. To perform such a story on the screen was also not easy, but here Kelly found several profitable moments. The first is that every character, like Woody Allen, where all the actors are parodying the director, is playing Darko. Strictly speaking, all the characters have their own “skeleton in the closet”, and being next to Donnie, they feel that their secret is not so impregnable. Whether from great skill, or not from great desire, or from hidden genius Jake Gyllenhaal gave his hero such a high level of infantilism and mystery that influenced other actors. They did not fall behind, in turn giving the whole film the highest level of suspense. Scenes in which Donnie is absent or not himself, made deliberately carelessly, which only confirms the deep meaning of the director's plan. The second spectacular move is a mass of characters, which, in addition to revealing the identity of the main character and the plot as a whole, is responsible for the flow of other goals, and each has its own. You are amazed at how little "water" here, insignificant and not affecting scenes. And even more so, there is no one without whose faces it would be possible to do in the frame. Remove the White Rabbit and the visionary grandmother from the film and the blood in the veins of the audience will immediately begin to thicken more slowly. Take away Swayze's character and you'll know who the positive hero is much later than it should be. Remove Jena Malone and what do you have left romantic? In the background, a scatter of recognizable faces, the strongest actors who do not look like themselves here for the sake of the message. There's even Seth Rogen here. It’s not like having Rogen in the cast is a positive for any movie, but even his fans may not recognize him here. Unusual hairstyle, manner of conversation and type. Well, Kelly’s third successful trick, which is not a ploy at all, is that the narrative is full of magnificent, extremely emotional moments that remain in memory regardless of whether you like the film or not. Richard left his competitors with a nose.
After all, it remains to figure out who is Donnie Darko? Savior or executioner? A young man or an ascetic? Visnephobe or lifephile? Genius or the most common schizophrenic? Everyone will find the answer. However, it is obvious that Donnie is first of all an extraordinary personality and a completely unique film character, the fruit of the efforts of two people with an incredible level of intelligence. The ending of the story, in which he smiles with a sense of accomplishment and flips to the other side before going to bed, makes the viewer feel more vulnerable than ever. Perhaps such a denouement of the story served as a metaphor for the end of the struggle of the screen Darko, but in real life, people like him never give up. At least I would like to hope for that. The adaptation of the fantastic plot in reality is one-sided, but the belief that human angels are carefully scattered around the planet, who, like Donnie, convince themselves that there is a better world and do everything to achieve it, is alive. Thanks to Richard Kelly.
Apparently, Richard Kelly’s debut film “Donnie Darko” will forever remain the best. I'm not familiar with Kelly's work at all, but what is it? A couple of short films, and still quite dubious quality "Tales of the South", as well as "Premise". After that, Kelly disappeared from the radar. But nevertheless, at one time he still managed to give the public a rather decent film, which, by the way, did not gain popularity during the release, she came to him a little later. As a result, the work appeared a small but serious handful of fans, and it also received a rather cult status.
The plot will tell us from twenty-nine days of the life of an American teenager - Donnie Darko. Donnie has some mental problems. Sometimes he cannot control himself or his actions. He often wakes up on a road or golf course and doesn’t remember how he got there. He is haunted by constant visions, in which he often sees a strange man in the costume of a sinister rabbit. Of course, he visits a psychiatrist, but he doesn’t actually help him, because the real essence of Donnie’s problems lies in completely different reasons. These reasons are beyond the comprehension of the standard human mind. All these visions and problems escalate from the moment Donnie’s room falls from a plane engine. But Donnie himself is saved, as during another attack of sleepwalking is in another place. Over time, the young man understands that he must understand the causes of his visions, understand their essence and not go crazy.
In my humble opinion, the film is a bit difficult to perceive, but I do not want to attribute this to the disadvantages, since what happens on the screen makes the viewer’s brain think almost every minute. For the key to solving the plot here sometimes lies in almost every dialogue or even image. However, much is not so obvious that it sometimes seems as if Kelly decided to follow the example of David Lynch, whose main character in the movie Highway to Nowhere, actually suffered from mental illness. But as it turns out, everything is much deeper and understanding this, unfortunately, does not come with watching Donnie Darko. Personally, I needed to go to thematic sites in order to fully understand and frankly, there are still a number of questions. The film is definitely not for one-time viewing.
The acting work of young Jake Gyllenhaal looks simply gorgeous. He played a troubled teenager so convincingly that you believe him unconditionally. I’m not a Gyllenhaal fan myself, but his role as Donnie is certainly one of the best, if not the best. Even in the later "Prisoners", he impressed me much less, although he also gave his best. Here he organically combined the emotions of his character, along with a kind of hysteria that covered him at certain moments. And the way the character of Gyllenhaal actively entered into constant skirmishes with adults, generally deserves special praise. Very talented work. More, no one and do not want to single out, because everything here revolves around the character of Gyllenhaal and many of the actors present here simply fade. Even Drew Barrymore didn't come up with anything significant.
In the end, we have a really rather ambiguous work. In this case, it is ambiguous in a good way. It is in its smart and plot just great, if it hooks, it will not let go to the end, you can be sure. At the same time, you will still want to add as information on the film, as what is here, most likely, will not be enough. In my opinion, the work may also not be to everyone’s taste. Strange of course, but watching about ten years ago, “Donnie Darko” something hooked me, provided that the plot I forgot almost immediately, and did not try to delve into it. However, I have come back to this and believe that Richard Kelly’s work rightfully has many acclaims.
Richard Kelly, a film director remembered by me and like everyone else, just this unusual work, it is unusually strange, in some ways it could be called the vague nonsense of a schoolboy bearing a rather cool name Donnie Darko. Performed by Jake Gyllenhaal, the hero of this picture is remembered for a long time. Even thanks to his wit, romantic cynicism (it really is), the manifestation of pure schizophrenia, the character of Donnie Darko is an example of a pure geek, or a real nihilist who remains a romantic.
Of all remembered is not an ordinary atmosphere filled with anticipation of collapse, this atmosphere, I will say so very modest, quiet and somehow to my surprise cozy. There are also twists, there is a dead “rabbit” (due to the appearance of this rabbit, I experienced a jitter), a couple of even a little funny moments. Although still, the film remains sad in its content, it smells of melancholy, a little depression with a clear melancholy tinge, but I still very much fell for it. There may be some personal reasons for this, the main character reminded me of something (smoking, frowning, secretive), a unique musical selection (all tracks from the film are heard to holes), and a very fresh script for that time. With all this, you should also note the relatively small budget of the picture, excellent visualization (although now it can only make you smile).
And the most important thing is that there is an extraordinary accident happening in the plot of this picture, I think I don’t need to talk much about this film, so I just recommend it to anyone who likes an unusual, slightly paranormal movie.
8 out of 10
It is quite difficult to write a review of this film and not spoil. But I will try.
The film itself is about a rude teenager suffering from nervous disorders and being observed by a psychologist. His name is Donnie Darko. After Donnie avoids a rather strange death, thanks to Frankie, he begins to plunge into visions that endow the film's further events with a thick and viscous meaning. The end of the world falls on the shoulders of a young man. It would seem that he is not afraid of anything, which is rather strange, because he knows what should happen and WHEN it should happen.
The film pleases with the number ' Easter ' and signs. While watching this masterpiece, you often notice something that the director specifically highlighted in order to make the meaning of some things more understandable... or not at all.
Skin bumps, smile and laughter, fear and depression after watching the film for more than one day, strange dreams - that's what this masterpiece of Richard Kelly gave me.
The ending of the film seems to put everything in place. But when you start to think, things become more incomprehensible, and you just knit in the deepest sense of this movie.
An exciting film that leaves ' aftertaste' makes you think and remember it again and again. It was impossible to get away from the movie. And it's really a find. I recommend you to review and evaluate
10 out of 10.
P. S
Separately, I was pleased with the mention of the book and the cartoon on it called 'Watership Down'. This animated film is deeply embedded in my memory since childhood, different from 'Disney' cruelty, truthfulness and intense tension throughout the picture. I recommend reading or viewing it for a full understanding of why this work was mentioned in 'Donnie Darko'.
Donnie Darko is certainly a strange and confusing film, at first comes a complete misunderstanding of what is happening, and with it comes denial. But surprisingly, even scolding the film for incoherence and illogicality, you still will not quit watching. No matter what you say, you want to know what’s going on. Isn’t that a sign of a good work of art?
So what does this movie do? Of course, its inefficiency, not the absence of facts, but rather their abruptness. By and large, we have all the data necessary to understand the plot, but to build them into a coherent logical chain is not an easy task. And of course, the aura of mysticism and mystery hinting at a nonlinear narrative.
The actors in the film picked up different levels of skill, and only a few of them are remembered. Of course, Jake Gyllenhaal played Donnie himself. He turned out to be detached, misunderstood and truly insane. Their relationship with their sister looked surprisingly organic, although not a small role was played here by the fact that they are actually relatives. I also liked the play of his school teacher played by Drew Barrymore, I did not expect such a deep role from her.
So the film is really unusual and complex, and if you like stories that don’t explain anything to you, but give you food for thought, then this is definitely your choice.
7 out of 10
More than once I read about this film enthusiastic reviews, which prompted his viewing.
If anyone reads this review, here are my impressions.
As the plot deepened, I increasingly noticed atypical ideas for Hollywood cinema about fate, God, choice. Donnie has to talk about things like being called "weird." Involuntarily, it seems that you really have to be crazy for a person to care about this. Yes, the film is full of riddles, oddities, allegory. I watched with great interest almost until the end. However, disappointment could not be avoided.
This movie is a dish that, when broken down into individual ingredients, looks good. It has its own “philosophy”, the idea of sacrifice, the existential suffering of the protagonist, the atmosphere and much more. It's all fascinating. Taking any of these elements as a basis, you could make a whole movie, and here it is all in one picture. And that's what ended up ruining the taste. The very idea of the film is very interesting, the idea of the exceptional significance of our choice (if at all correctly perceived the plot). But, unfortunately, this idea was eventually blurred, losing its relief and mixing with other independent ideas of the film. In my opinion, this is due to the authors’ ambition and arrogance in trying to create something exceptional.
As for the plot and characters, it is a shame for the authors of the school location, where side episodes do not fit into the overall narrative.
As strange as it sounds, I liked and disappointed the film. Maybe after the second or third viewing, the view of the picture will change for the better, maybe for the worse. Anyway, the picture leaves food for the mind and it should be recommended for viewing.
I’m going to give my impressions of the movie a
It was a very interesting film that made me think about what would happen to a moth if it didn't fly, but only ran on its little legs. The moth is always looking for light, the wings help him fly to the source of light, and when the goal is very close, he with incredible zeal and speed burns himself to death with a light bulb or a candle or beats himself to death against the wall of a lamp or something else.
Most people are moths without wings, they can only run on the floor and look at this shining source of light, indulging only in those goals that excite them at the moment, where to find food and lay offspring, their death makes no sense, and for what does not make sense, I have no pity. Do you feel sorry for a piece of wood or stone? Which is just lying on the ground. And if a tree had eyes, ears, mouth, legs, you would feel sorry for it.
Why do moths fly into the light? No one knows, there are various scientific theories that they want to expose light perpendicular to their body so that the rays reflect radially. Do you think it's so complicated? Why no one thinks that light beckons them, they seek it out of curiosity, in order to satisfy their thirst for knowledge, many will say: ' They are brainless insects, they can not even read, even think'
What do you know? Read and write, and that makes you smart? Why do you know how to do that? To work? To start a family? Is that right? Is it really in moths without wings that do not seek this cherished candle that will burn you with the guts that you are afraid of what may happen to you, I would rather sit and multiply, and eat, and weave silk?
This candle of knowledge will burn me, but this goal is curiosity, to understand what and how everything is arranged, worthy of being incinerated to the ground.
10 out of 10
The debut film of director and screenwriter Richard Kelly (the picture “Inner Essence” of 1997 has not yet reached wide distribution even in mass distribution) “Donnie Darko” did not immediately gain fame of the cult tape among young people. There is a fairly easy explanation for this: in theaters, Donnie Darko earned a little more than one million dollars with the investment in the creation of six. The viewer could not understand the mysterious construction of the picture in the best traditions of David Lynch, the philosophy of the picture was not quite assimilated. But it’s another matter when Donnie Darko sold out on licensed home viewing media. The content was an explanation from the director himself, what he meant in his film and what the concept of the universe “Donnie Darko”. When all the dots were placed on the “I”, the audience (the main target is young people) already took the picture of Richard Kelly on “hurrah”.
It is a story about, of course, Donnie Darko - a guy with self-centered views, hot-tempered, with a clearly shaky psyche. One day in the middle of the night, Donnie wakes up to a mysterious voice announcing the imminent end of the world. In some hypnotic trance, Donnie leaves the house and wakes up on the golf lawn at his neighbor’s house. It turns out that a mysterious voice saved the young man – at night the engine of the plane falls on his house. After that, strange and scary things begin to happen to Donnie. What is it? Donnie is haunted by mysterious forces from the beyond, or is it the fruit of his hallucinations that make Donnie crazy? Richard Kelly, like David Lynch, leaves questions, and the viewer is left to guess. Lovers of all the mystical “Donnie Darko” as a gift for pleasure, where you not only need to indulge in viewing, but also think.
For the role of Donnie Darko was invited then beginner, but very talented guy Jake Gyllenhaal. Two years before that, the film with his participation “October Sky” was released, where he appeared in the image of a dreamer with inventive abilities. And in "Donnie Darko," he's completely different, strange and mentally unstable. In the shell of unpredictable events, allusions, shakes surrounding the character of Jake Gyllenhaal looks like an insanity-absorbed subject who is unable to fight the inexplicable, and his youthful ego only spurs to terrible deeds, which, again, Donnie Darko does as if under hypnosis.
The appearance of the Easter rabbit in human growth with such a terrifying grin, when you realize that nothing good can be expected from this figure, once again suggests the influence of David Lynch on the film. He loves all sorts of extraordinary personalities in his films, so Richard Kelly used this style. Any appearance of a rabbit indicates that the next events are about to occur, which indicate Donnie’s clouded consciousness. Kelly gradually brings to each such episode, heats up the atmosphere, outlines the personalities associated in one way or another with Donnie, and then provides them. He does not show them, he already has consequences, and the consequences are frightening. As the fall of the engine on the house of the Darko family will not be shown, so in other cases it will not be: the vestige and consequences - this is the concept of the picture.
“Donnie Darko” in addition to being a non-standard for thinking, it also has a very strong cast, where each character means something to the overall formula of the picture. Among those already experienced are Holmes Osborne and Mary McDonnell, the star of Dancing with Wolves. They played Donnie's parents. They seem to be not involved in the upbringing of their son, turning a blind eye to the fact that there is clearly something wrong with Donnie, until he himself cried out: “I am crazy.” Here, the routine of the family becomes indicative: home, children, prosperity, and then ordinaryity and isolation. Patrick Swayze will appear in an unexpected image, but will portray a deceptive idol, sinful under a presentable appearance. But Drew Barrymore, despite the fact that her teacher thinks progressively and with a clearly rebellious look, will seem almost the most “living” in this film. And even before the frenzy brings the heroine Beth Grant, it is necessary to play so that she wants to give a noble kick, maybe he would stop her.
He brought together Richard Kelly and young, talented actors. For the main one - Jake Gyllenhaal - said above, a whole paragraph, because his image deserves it. Among others, Donnie's girlfriend was played by Jenna Malone. The new girl at school immediately finds Donnie. But maybe it's just a boy's fantasy? Malone has not yet become a star of the first magnitude, but participation in several well-known projects ("Forbidden Admission" and "The Hunger Games") say that trust in the actress is, let's hope that she will reveal in all its glory, the potential for this is there. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Donnie’s sister, and it’s easy to guess that Jake and she are close relatives, brother and sister. I don’t remember any other movies they’ve played together. Maggie doesn’t have such a big role in Donnie Darko, but when you compare them, you notice the contrast between the mental state of her brother and sister: Maggie clearly follows the beaten path of young people and is happy with this circumstance, but Donnie already has problems. And James Duval, the favorite of provocative director Gregg Araki, is like an image of madness.
“Donnie Darko” is a movie that is rarely made, but they try to stand out, show their individuality. Richard Kelly did it, albeit through thorns. You look and wonder, you look and wonder, and you need to look with all your attention, in order to understand what is in the painting “Donnie Darko”, otherwise there will be questions that will not be answered.
In 2001, we were shown a strange film called Donnie Darko, someone did not even understand what it was and why. What did the author want to say?
In fact, the film is of great interest, tells about the life of a teenager, which is invaded by a mystical ghost of the future. Its difference is that teenagers are not presented as prodigies or as 007 agents, who cannot be drowned in water, burned in fire. And shows the real life of an American teenager about all its foundations, there is informal speech in an average amount, which makes the film not brutal, but pleasant to watch.
But at some point, the young man begins to be haunted by any evil spirit in the face of a rabbit that saves him from death, but in the end we will see that it failed. So why do such a story, if there is still hopelessness.
In my opinion, the author wanted to show the irreversibility of fate and if it is destined to die, it happens (even a rabbit does not look like himself, but like some demon). But why would a rabbit save him until a certain point? – everything is very simple, it is done in order to atone for the sin of the guy dressed up in the same rabbit that crushed the girl Darko, by redirecting Donnie to save other lives, as we see in the film.
According to the mystical circumstances of the coincidence of the release of the film with the attack on the Twin Towers, the cover of the film was removed, where the head of a rabbit was adorned from it. You will find many more similarities when viewing.
The film is carefully thought out to the details. To finally understand everything, I advise you to read 50 reasons to watch Donnie Darko, the film is filled with a lot of secret signs, tricks that indicate the fate of the guy. For example: Deus ex machina.
This film is not a masterpiece, but it is desirable to watch it. It will not leave you with regrets from watching it, on the contrary, you will try to unravel the idea of the film, so enjoy watching!
8 out of 10
Middlesex, 1988. Difficult teenager Donnie Darko begins to see strange things like the big and scary rabbit Frank, or rather the man in the creepy costume of the rabbit Frank, who speaks in riddles and predicts the end of the world. Perhaps only Donnie can prevent him, but the problem is that everyone thinks he's not quite normal, and he has to visit a private psychologist and take pills. But that doesn’t really help.
At the same moment, Alice followed him, not thinking about how she would get out.”
The events of the film are untwisted and tightly connected with each other with all their particles. “Donnie Darko” is full of numerous references and hidden clues, but they are absolutely not enough to understand anything. There are two versions of the film: theatrical and directorial. It is strongly recommended to watch only the second, because only there are very important pieces of information like excerpts from the non-existent book “The Philosophy of Time Travel”.
Richard Kelly wanted to tell us an amazing and complex story, but he failed to make it understandable (for example, without reviewing the version with official comments). “Donnie Darko” is an incredibly complex film, and in order to understand everything, you will most likely have to read more information, go to the fan site, see those comments, because if, in essence, Kelly does not give clear answers to the events taking place there.
"What would Satan do?"
“Donnie Darko” is a deeply philosophical film that touches on many complex themes such as faith, family, fate and justice, so watching it and understanding little at first, you are unlikely to regret anything much. Rather, on the contrary, you will want to learn more about it and reconsider it again, but already more meaningfully.
If a man desires more knowledge, he knows the past and predicts the future, he learns the subtleties of speech and the solution of riddles, he foresees signs and miracles, and becomes outside of time and age.
Do you believe in time travel? Does each of us have a predetermined path? Or do you like the theory of parallel universes? Kelly will show you his vision of many things and events, providing everything for convincing catchy melancholy melodies and a beautiful atmosphere of strangeness, where everything, down to the smallest phrases and posters on the wall, matters. You may not understand the meaning, but you will like it.
9 out of 10
Is the search for God absurd?
- Yeah, if everyone dies alone.
This film balances between a fantastic sad tale and teenage drama. Brief half-hints on mysticism are compensated by the actual absence of action. In adolescence, time flows differently and the analysis of information is more emotional. Richard Kelly is very accurate in creating a strange ornate picture of idle pastime - he shows us the world through the eyes of his hero. I am sure that this is why so many people liked the picture (only among my friends in the estimates - seven dozen). Jake Gyllenhaal’s puffy look (who has done nothing special) only reinforces the strange atmosphere of anticipation of something terrible. In the end, there is an exit into the void and for Donnie a lot changes. The sad ending is nothing more than the illusion of growing up our hero, and the weight that fell from the sky is not a metaphor for the world’s inherent adult heavyweight problems. Only the fascination with magic holds the bond between a boy and a growing man.
Here it would be possible to develop the topic and seriously speculate about cinematic nuances. To do this, you would need to review the movie, or at least squander it. To me, the task is completely impossible. The fact is that the style of the film I did not like. The measured life of a one-storey town is not intriguing, as are attempts to unravel the family dramas of the protagonist. Everything was too colorless and unattractive. It turns out the effect as with most of Antonioni’s films: the artistic significance is undeniable, but the aesthetics are not impressive, and the plot itself is not only not interesting, but also not of particular importance. It's all about subjective perception, hence the low score. PS To my taste, the films of the little-known Jake Kasdan - much more juicy turned out. Both Orange County and Darryl Zero's "Zero Effect" story. The same questions in essence, but how elegantly presented - with humor, style and polish.
4 out of 10
The film is ambiguous. Captured from the first seconds, from the first soundtrack.
Muffled colors, or so it seemed to me, but the whole film is covered in a kind of veil plus the effect of slowing down the scenes. A film about the search for God, faith, truth. The limits of our world are conditional, there are no standards. Everything and everything is different. The main character with mental disorders, goes to a psychiatrist, drinks pills. But is he abnormal? In fact, what is normal? In short, this film is a mystery. Suitable for those who believe in parallel worlds, in time travel, in things that science has never known. Stressful, exciting, catchy.
Everyone will understand in their own way... (c) Or she doesn't.
There are films with a neutral plot, the meaning of which can be very diverse: from banal and stupid, to useful and complex. There are also films in which the plot is more complex, often confusing, but at the same time logical and fascinating. And the meaning in these films may not be at all, and may be as multifaceted as in films of neutral narrative. But the light sees that there are films with a plot resembling (not in the literal sense of course) a car of unknown purpose, which in addition to its incredible size, also weighs several tons.
It seems incredible the possibility that in such a heavy and, to put it mildly, confusing plot, it is possible to cram not just some unshakable morality, but to put a multifaceted semantic component, which, among other things, is not limited to only faces. To achieve deep meaning, you must first catch the plot by the tail, and not let it throw itself aside. Along with this, one should try to “catch” the meaning that will float on the surface itself. Having finished with that -- I think it won't happen before the credits start -- let's start crushing the hard shell of the faceted nut to reach the underlying subject. It will allow you to collect from the fragments of the semantic component of the whole picture of the film.
Is the film worth spending time on? No, you don't need it if you're expecting something spectacular, incredible, funny, or intense. This is a psycho-philosophical social drama, probably not the best in its genre, but quite worthy. In addition, the film is full of allegories - some of them can only be found after re-watching. Respect for the operators, because thanks to them, the film does not slide into a dull narrative. With music, it does not matter, and duplication is not the best – if you watch such films, then the best extended versions, and I got it with a voiceover translation. The actors were normal, probably the best they could do. It was a time when I didn’t really care about acting.
If you have already watched the film, and in search of answers you read my review, I advise you to contact the website of fans of the film, it is called Donnie.ru. If we consider that the director does not start from the canons of science fiction, and he created his own rules and made a film based on them - then of course this could not but cause various interpretations of the audience, half of whom watched the theatrical version, which sets out a slightly simplified version of the plot, with different interpretations of the meaning and even the finale. Someone says it's for the best, I'm undecided.
There will be no bed scenes here, so you can not worry about the psyche of the child (who sometimes likes to peek into the door slot). However, the main character sometimes allows himself to express himself obscenely, and if you are not embarrassed, you can even leave the child at the screen. I don’t know how to understand this film with family and friends. I watched it under the blanket with headphones, and then I had to rewind some moments to listen again until the meaning of what was said or seen was clear. I won’t say that after the movie, the head was like cast-iron – although the fact that it remained more or less clear does not prove that you will have the same clarity of thoughts after watching.
Perhaps this is one of the most non-standard films that I have watched recently, sometimes difficult to perceive and heavy in content, but those who love films with a horseshoe and ambiguity will certainly appreciate it.
The very idea, the storyline refers to films not for a wide audience, my purely individual opinion that such films should go on closed screenings, so that after watching there was a ground for reflection, reasoning and opinions!
The film was shot in the spirit of D. Lynch’s paintings, very atmospheric, slow and rather stretched in timekeeping, does not bother. The presentation is unusual, the dialogues in the film “without water”, exclusively on the case, brief, clear, concise, clear, more attention is paid to the actions of the characters, they develop very vividly and interestingly. Despite this, more attention is paid to one person, the main character Donnie, his “world” is individual, mysterious, independent, the rest of the characters are secondary and absolutely not woven into his life, this is a very interesting move again, which I saw in Lynch films.
The storyline itself is also unusual, it is based on the theme of space, time and paranoid schizophrenia, definitely should cause interest among fans of thrillers, mysticism. Later, similar themes are touched upon in such films as “The Butterfly Effect” and “The jacket”, these are later works and of course recommended for viewing after Donnie Darko.
Such pictures, with such overtones, ambiguous and intriguing receive high marks in my list and are sent for me to the “favorites”, but in this picture I will say that despite the fact that I liked, I still do not fanatize from such a so-called “lynchev” atmosphere, these are films for fans, big fans, yes I like, but I look with pleasure, but I do not feel any big emotions! I just liked it, just fine.
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
On the second of October 1988, somewhere over New Jersey, the space-time continuum cracked at the seam, indifferently spitting four tons of metal directly onto the roof of a white cottage. The nameless town, the surrounding cottage, reacted to the incident no more emotionally than the Universe. The airplane turbine that came out of nowhere was pulled out by a crane, the roof was patched, another couple of weeks - and there were new topics for gossip. Someone flooded the school, the girls from Sparkle Motion were invited to Los Angeles, the house of the guru of all fat housewives and peeing boys Jim Cunningham was blazing, a red-haired university upstart was put out on the street so as not to maim children by Graham Greene, and this strange son Rose Darko, well, who is registered with a psychiatrist, advised our Kitty to shove the Life Line up our ass. Turbine? Yes, I think it was, but nobody died, right? Thrown out of the body of the universe tangential universe, lived as if nothing had happened, unaware that in 28 days, on Halloween night, it will be gone.
The other tangential universe, spun off from Richard Kelly’s plan, lasted three years: from the release of Donnie Darko to the appearance of the director’s version. The low-budget enigmas finally got answers, the mystical transformed into the fantastic, trembling Gyllenhaal’s dark smile from menacing to suffering. Fans massively migrated into the promising discoveries and subtexts of the “main” cinematic universe, leaving the “tangential” to collapse in the far corners of the network. And this is sad, because viewers focused on “watch the director at once” miss the phenomenon – the existence of two multi-genre films, almost do not overlap in ideological and substantive terms, consisting of 80% of the same material. The point here must be a certain amorphity and sweep of the script. Kelly generously blended science fiction and school drama, mysticism and social satire. Existing in some semblance of an unstable chemical reaction, the components form bonds, then crumble again - as in life, which can not be reduced to a line between fear and love. Even a slight shift in accents filters the rich material differently, brings some elements into focus, pushes others to the horizon, and, ultimately, against the will of the creator, writes a new story with an independent existence.
"Donnie Darko" of 2001, for all its gloomy mystery and hallucination rabbits - it is, above all, the school and the neighborhood, the angle of view of a 16-year-old who early felt trapped in an intelligence, dissonant with the narrowness and hypocrisy of others. Of course, here and ask for stamps about indifferent teachers and discord reigning under the external well-being of the family. But it's all tantalizing. Teachers care. The couple love and protect their unusual son. For every type who's ready to put a knife to your throat, there's a friendly classmate giving you a bumblebee, or a new pretty girl. And yet, Donnie is lonely enough to take up the axe at the direction of an imaginary friend, as long as he does not leave him, does not leave in one. The premonition of death color the days, sounds a sad piano note. King, a lot of King: talk duels, fear and rage. This is not about the promised end of the world, but about the mounting tension. Election campaigns on television, psychoanalyst paid sympathy, pills and a gun in the toilet closet, other people's loneliness and disappointments, everyday lies that have been trained to breathe. Without the wormhole, all this could be one of those stories that after a long and savory show on TV. Blood in the school corridors, a bullet that pierced the temple, and the eternal question: "Why?"
"Donnie Darko" 2004 - an attempt to find a place in the vast universe for a man with his plans and fears. King is replaced by Heinlein, schizophrenia by telepathy, hallucinations by the theory of relativity. Previously, Kelly sinned with inefficiency, now goes into excessive explanations. And now it is not Jim and Elizabeth, Frank and Gretchen, but the living and dead Manipulators, leading an infernal dance around the frightened Guide. It's curious, but it's too simple and too poor. However, the original sweep of the style helps again. Walking without realizing it, the director overcomes one of the key theological paradoxes, balancing the ideas of divine predestination and the freedom of human will. Of course, many will say that the difference between those who meet their fate and those who are dragged in the same direction by force is symbolic. Yet in these 28 days lived by the hero, lies not the indifference of the blind laws of nature, but the love of God. For the game to continue, it is enough to remove the pawn from the board. There is no point in saving her, and after a long and hard time leading to the idea that the rescue was a dangerous failure of the program. But there is a difference for the figure who was given this choice, this understanding of inscrutable ways. It allows you to leave with dignity, knowing how expensive you are valued, shows that your life was not in vain, and death was accidental.
Both films, in their incompleteness, are like faces carelessly carved out of a common photograph, strips of matter bordered by threads leading nowhere. Sumburity, ambiguity, a wide field for interpretation. It’s easy to understand those who are tired and bored here and left disappointed, but every completed story is dead and this one will live on. Donnie laughs on screen, kind of funny, kind of sad. The abyss of sad charm, the sincerity of the only gospel that is available to man: "Everything will be fine." Sharita Chen, dragging the cross of her high school years. Rose Darko swallowing tears in half with cigarette smoke. Karen Pomeroy shouting "fuuuck!" in the car park. You, reader. Remember this, if one autumn night you wake up to the bestowal of someone’s collapsed world. Calm down and go to bed, everything will be fine. I will.
I found out about the film by accident (I don’t remember how), but I remember that the title immediately interested me. After watching it for the first time, it stuck deep and long in my memory. An intriguing plot, an interesting story, with an excellent cast and directorial work. It's all "Donnie Darko!"
The picture makes you think and not only during the viewing, but also after. Trying to put all the links together in one chain and find the answer. There are many answers.
For someone, the main character will be a mentally unhealthy teenager, with a lot of problems and a sick fantasy. For someone, he is chosen to save all mankind from the inevitable end. Or a superhero? : Or maybe it's just a dream.
I think everyone here will decide for themselves who exactly they see in Donnie.
I can only advise that this, I am not afraid of this word - a masterpiece is a must-see.
P.S. See the director's version;< /i>
Some people are just born with tragedy in their blood…
“Donnie Darko” wouldn’t exist if we lived in a world where everything is fair, everyone gets what they deserve, and there is no hypocritical smile and suppression of individuality. Bold in design, touching and gloomy film is a very successful mixture of science fiction, teenage drama and satire, satire not even on the 80s and customs of that time, but on the mores of people of all times and peoples, which were always the same.
Kelly shot this film at 26, that is, his perception was not blinkered, from the humbled with the order of things and the rules of life of a person over 30 would not have come out such ideas realized in such an original unconventional film. And debuts are often squeezed into some framework, out of 10 waste from the standard leave a maximum of a couple of chips, doing this for censorship and ease of viewing for those very “average”. But here Kelly got full carte blanche to implement his ideas. Do you want to make a film of an obscure genre? Please. No antagonist? Okay. The main character is a teenager with mental disorders? Why not?
And let it not seem to you that here is taken plot fashionable for the time theme of split personality. Even in the context of such films, he stands out, for whether or not Frank the Rabbit (whoever he really is) exists is an open question. And there is no film that even remotely resembles Donnie Darko and is unlikely to ever be, and this uniqueness is worth a lot.
What will an introverted 16-year-old with mental problems do when he learns, not from anyone, but from a huge anthropomorphic rabbit in an iron mask, that the world will end in 28 days, and to prevent this, he must follow his orders? Later, the psychiatrist will say that this was his response to the inability to resist the hostility of the world. Then it was his projection, created by him to absolve himself of responsibility for his actions and to declare that "They made me do it..."
What if not just Frank, but the whole story is Donnie hallucinating before bed from a psychiatrist's prescription pills?
And what if all this is true, for everything, if anything, is given a detailed explanation.
These and not only questions leave the film after watching and everyone will answer them in their own way, if you want, you can give a dozen different interpretations of certain words, scenes, actions.
A complex film that fascinates and puzzles.
'Donnie Darko' is one of the most controversial films I've seen. Take at least his genre affiliation, which is not possible to determine. In some places, the film can pass for fiction or even mysticism, sometimes for teenage comedy. There are moments here that will make you smile. There are those who will be hard not to cry. To be honest, I can’t remember which of the last movies I watched moved me to tears, so when I sat down to watch Donnie Darko, I didn’t expect it to make me cry. . .
Despite his ' diversity', 'Donnie Darko' looks holistic, for which the director of the film (Richard Kelly) would like to say a special thank you. Not everyone is able to combine so much in one film, seemingly incompatible!
I’m not going to write much about actors and their performances. I loved it all, but it was Jake Gyllenhaal who played the role of Donnie Darko. The actor had a hard time, as his character is a confused teenager who is slowly but surely going crazy. There is no one to help him, and no one can help him. Moreover, Donnie Darko’s parents are even frightened by their son’s behavior, and do not know what to expect from him. Despite the complexity of the image, Jake Gyllenhaal fully managed to cope with the role, and I could not imagine anyone else in his place.
Separately, I want to say about the soundtrack for the film. The music is just perfect, and the title theme (the song Mad World, performed by Harry Jules) I liked so much that I was not lazy to find it on the Internet and add to my playlist.
In conclusion, I would like to note that 'Donnie Darko' is one of the few films after which there is some aftertaste. The film will make you think about life and where we stand in the world around us. My score is 10 out of 10. It's a must-see!
Psychedelic substances are substances that affect the brain in a certain way, distorting the information received, but at the same time increasing attention and sensitivity. Psychedelics is where the boundaries of consciousness, cognition and fantasy are violated. Psychedelics is when you can’t describe in words the feeling when the old answers to questions lose meaning. This is the place where standard analysis and logic are foreign phenomena.
But there is one significant disadvantage in psychedelics – the sensation is difficult (almost impossible) to convey, since not only the input flow of information changes, but also the way we perceive it. In addition, the boundary between fantasy and knowledge is erased, and only their author can fully understand their personal fantasies.
This film is a full-length psychedelic stretched for 2 hours. It's very difficult to understand this movie. And you really don't have to try. Because the movie doesn't really convey that, in my opinion. In my opinion, it is completely empty inside, as it consists entirely of a fantasy on completely unknown themes of life and death, space and time, peace and non-existence. But at the same time, the only feeling that I have after watching is empty. Total devastation. You try to ask the question: “What was it and how to understand it?”, but even before you formulate it, you realize that there will be no answer. The problem is that perception is purely personal. And here even the point is not that it is difficult to explain something, but that you can easily get SRSG.
In my humble opinion, the film turned out to be very good, makes you think a lot, as a result of which develops memory. But it has a fatal defect: despite serious far-fetchedness (still occultism will leave to the occultists), which, however, can only be explained by a possible interpretation of events, and due to the vagueness of information there are many of them, it has too ... a hopeless end. Although it has an interesting point: there is one interpretation of the physical (not logical) law of cause-effect, and how one of the solutions to possible time travel is a complete determinism of the past and the future (in short, we can move both forward and backward, but are unable to change anything in any way; even if someone goes to rescue the Titanic - he can be horrified to find that he is the cause of the ship's death, which is a great plot for the film). And only Donnie managed to understand the nature of time and violate this principle, although he had to sacrifice himself.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
8 out of 10
I’ve been going to see this “Cult Movie Not For Everyone” for a long time. Finally, when I got together and watched it, my opinion of the film was very divided.
On the one hand, of course, in all plans, the film is just perfect. The actors are perfect, especially Jake Gyllenhaal, who doesn’t just hold the whole movie, he makes it. All his grins, grins - this is just the apogee of the film. It creates all the atmosphere – darkness, lostness, fear, uncertainty, suffering, choice – everything that can be attributed to this film.
So, the atmosphere in the film is supported not only by the cast, but also by numerous allusions (films, books, quotes). It's a gloomy picture in halftones, which I really appreciate. The atmosphere works and a beautiful soundtrack that we hear throughout the film.
But there's just one little catch: the atmosphere itself doesn't work. Perhaps someone very attentive, or maybe just a select few and fell under her influence, after which they began to praise this film. But, personally, in my case, for all the genius of the film, it seemed simply boring and far-fetched.
As for the plot, I would like to talk a little bit about the story. Of course, there are several interpretations of both the plot of the film itself and its ending. The plot, in my opinion, is quite far-fetched, but all films where part of the plot is related to time travel suffer from this. The ending is pretty good, although it’s also quite strained. There is something to think about.
Overall, the film is not bad. From the point of view of the picture, I would even say genius. But this film will not please everyone. Like any iconic film, one half of the audience will bow to it and the other half will regard it as empty. For me, the film is very long. You can watch it once – no, no, no. You need to watch it alone and very carefully.
Quantum immortality through the prism of the cubist principle.
"Donnie Darko" is an extremely interesting author's tape, which became the best work of Richard Kelly. In this non-trivial story about an American teenager allegorically shows the painful state of transitional age, the mental anguish of the personality at the most important moment of its formation, located on the verge of healthy and sick, on the verge of life and death.
Many directors faced the difficult task of demonstrating the borderline state, but not all of them succeeded. Kelly was able to find a middle ground between scientific and mystical, between rational and religious, thereby creating a magnificent atmosphere of fear of the surrounding reality, questioning the reality of the universe itself. In order to create such an atmosphere, one must first appeal to the strongest human feelings, and Kelly does. Each viewer can feel something elusive, familiar when watching this tape, and together with the main character to feel despair and powerlessness in attempts to rationally understand the world around.
Completely a failure from a commercial point of view, this film, however, found a circle of connoisseurs among sophisticated film critics. When you watch Donnie Darko, you get the feeling that the author, as Richard Kelly should be called in this context, put his innermost ideas into it, his personal picture of the world and tried to raise the issues that concern him most. Even the soundtrack may seem out of place, but that’s probably Kelly’s own vision—these are the songs that rang through his brain as he pieced together his piece. And despite all this, the film is not an individual point of view: I repeat that everyone will find something elusively personal when watching.
With its originality, unique atmosphere and loyalty to different worldviews, Donnie Darko deserves very high praise. By loyalty, I mean such a feature of the presentation of the content of the film that here a man of science will be able to see solid science fiction, explaining what is happening by a manifestation of the phenomenon of quantum immortality, and a believer will see an allusion to purgatory, and even an esotericist will find a complex mystical picture of the world that does not contradict his beliefs.
9 out of 10
I think I’ll say it’s a movie about fear. We are all afraid of something: the dark, the snake, the death. Yes, it is no coincidence that so much time in the film is given to Jim Cunningham and his recipe, how to overcome fear.
Donnie Darko is a guy who understands life, people, their goals and motives. And every year, from this understanding, fear and loneliness are more and more embedded in his soul, he closes, he becomes irritable, his fear grows into schizophrenia. And perhaps it was the disease that became the last necessary component to move his consciousness through time.
So, Donnie takes the pills, goes to bed and completely unnoticed to himself finds himself in a parallel, tangential universe, which has nothing to do with the real ... yet.
And this journey begins with the fact that the turbine of the plane falls on his room, an artifact that is unknown from where it came from. In the room, by Frank's will, he was completely illogical and survived.
This turbine is key in the film, as it turned out in the future, firmly entrenched in his mind, as Frank wanted.
He lives on, goes to school, but his fears do not give him peace, everything and everything reminds him of them. There is no peace and no solitude, only the whole life as a solid reminder. What do you do with them, how do you live with them? He's looking for answers the whole movie and he doesn't find them.
Very clearly all his fears become visible in communication with a psychologist.
The solution to all his problems turns before his eyes, but causes no less fear than life itself. He approaches Cherita Chen and tells her, “I promise you that one day you will be fine!”
He believes it himself, although he does not yet know the answers to all the questions.
Yes, the time of suffering and pain for him and for Cherita Chen and many others will end one day.
At the end of the film, his life turns into a real nightmare, the girl he loved dies, the police chase him, his mother and sister die.
His dead friend Gretchen Ross once said, “If you went back in time, would you be able to turn a time of suffering and pain into something good?”
He returns to the past and accepts Frank’s proposal, death in the form of a turbine falling on him from the future! He is no longer afraid of anything and no longer afraid of death. He accepts his future and thereby ends his pain and suffering and delivers many others from it. Frank's mission accomplished...