bobafred

The three most recent movies I’ve watched on DVD have all been the same movie. That movie has been Donnie Darko. I watched it twice in normal mode and then once with the audio commentary (not all on the same day). This was the first time that as soon as the movie was over, I wanted to watch it again immediately.

Donnie Darko tells the story of one confused youngster that is having strange dreams and sleepwalking adventures. The dreams and visions are often prophetic. Like someone is trying to communicate with Donnie for some greater good. Of course there is more to the story than this, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Donnie is played brilliantly by Jake Gyllenhaal. The cast also includes excellent performances from Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, and (interestingly) Patrick Swayze.

The movie takes place in a small town in October of 1988. This obviously affords for killer 80’s pop music to be heard throughout. This is accomplished with tunes from Tears for Fears and Duran Duran, amongst others. But, the highlight of the film is the song Mad World, which was written by Tears For Fears and was performed here by Gary Jules. Although the song was written in the early 80’s, it seems like a perfect fit for the movie.

The movie spans many genres with elements of sci/fi, fantasy, horror, comedy, drama, and suspense. It marks the major film debut of (at the time) 26 year old writer/director Richard Kelly. I’d like to compare him to another young writer/director, M. Night Shyamalan. And, I think it is a fair comparison. I can only hope that the studios and financial backers get on board with Mr. Kelly’s talents and he gets to continue to make outstanding films.

This movie is great because it makes you think. It forces you to become involved with the characters and follow every subtle nuance of their development. This adds depth to the story and makes for a more enjoyable experience. More movies should be like this one.