Donnie Darko

Hard to imagine I have been completely blown away by two incredible movies this weekend but it happened. The film is the first motion picture from young writer/filmmaker Richard Kelley and takes place in a rural Virgininan town in the month before the Presidential election of 1988. Donny Darko, the middle child of three is being medicated for emotional issues after burning down some house.It's your typical dramatic horror mystery sci-fi time-travel comedy set in a very white town in the USA. Donnie is haunted by a futuristic man in a bunny suit named Frank and compelled to do various things during his sleepwalks. During the audience's first introduction to Frank, he tells Donnie how the world will end precisely to the minute - which is about 28 days and a few hours. It was during this time Frank called him from his bed to sleepwalk out to a golf field, saving Donnie's life as an airplane engine crashes into his house in the middle of the night, destroying Donnie's bedroom. From this point on, Donnie struggles with the reality of his mysterious "imaginary friend", family life, going to a private school, teenage sexual urges, teachers who are brainwashed and the few sympathetic ears like his therapist, two teachers, and a mysterious old woman who in her hayday wrote a book which unlocks the secrets to his problems with time travel. Sounds pretty fucked up, but there's never a weak moment in the film, as every character is wonderfully animated, personal and entertaining. Poor Donnie, however, who is forced to become a true superhero at the young age of 16. Wait till you see how he does it in the end,... I'm completely shocked this film hasn't made larger circuits yet, but given the right amount of exposure, this could be much much bigger. It's destined to become a classic once it's on video/DVD as the people I knew who had seen this have gone back multiple times. I know I want to go back. More information and playing locations are at www.donniedarko.com. -