Richard Kelly’s masterpiece of cinema is rapidly making the transition from cult film to mainstream movie, thanks to Gary Jules cover of Mad
World making it to the number one spot on the Christmas chart here in the
UK.
The film centres on teen Donnie Darko and his ’emotional problems’, as he tries to comprehend the strange occurrences in his life in 1980’s America.
We join Donnie in the last 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds of……..well, to say any more would ruin the story.
What I will say is that the film is a beautifully crafted dark piece of art, that was obviously a labour of love for Richard Kelly, and it shows!!
Besides the inclusion of an accomplished cast, we are treated to wonderful camera work and editing, and an amazing soundtrack that all compliment the
first class performances from the wonderfully written characters.
I must stress that I am not a new fan of the film, as I had first seen it when it was released, long before I worked here at the Asylum. I did
however find new passion for the film, thanks to my friend James, who like
myself loves nothing more than to see a film that has so much heart behind
it that it manages to stay with you.
In this day and age when studios churn out all sorts of CGI crap for kids to lap up, I applaud Richard Kelly for his vision and passion and I award
him the highest reward that I can, a full five marks.
OVERALL SUMMARY
A modern day masterpiece!! Donnie Darko is not an easy film to fully
understand, as it contains all sorts of secrets within it’s world, but it
certainly has the power to provoke thought and move it’s audience and for
that reason, it will stay with me forever.
