Donnie Darko

• This movie gets better every time I watch it. It works well comedically in the same way that an 80s Ferris Bueller-style film does, with horror and sci-fi elements through a hyper-stylized lens. The gnostic themes of forbidden knowledge in a corrupt world is haunting, and the vibes of the scenes with Frank are insanely unique and freaky.

• DONNIE DARKO is an outstanding film by Richard Kelly that challenges the viewer from start to finish. It largely remains ambiguous, offering no answers to the pressing questions that arise, thereby leaving ample room for the audience's imagination. Yet, upon closer inspection, one does receive—much like the protagonist himself—subtle clues as to what is going on and what lies ahead. It is a film featuring an exceptional concept, outstanding acting, and a brilliant screenplay.

• Richard Kelly's feature debut belongs to those films that mature with the viewer and draw them ever deeper into their world. Atmospherically, 'Donnie Darko' is magnificent; in terms of content, it invites the audience to pursue their own interpretations. Suffice it to say: it is well worth it, because 'Donnie Darko' is both meaningful food for the intellect and a touching coming-of-age story.

• Visually, 'Donnie Darko' is an atmospheric masterpiece. Steven Poster's cinematography bathes the Virginia suburbs in a melancholic autumnal light, creating a sense of beauty and decay. The dream sequences and Frank's appearances are genuinely disturbing, not through cheap jump scares, but through their surreal strangeness and omen of doom.

• You spend the entire runtime wondering what it's about, trying to follow a thread that doesn't exist, a fishing line to catch the fish, but there is no fish; you are left only with an unsettling feeling that you haven't grasped much, but that is precisely what Richard Kelly aims for: making you think and reflect through the clues he leaves throughout his work.

1 / 5