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Writer/director Richard Kelly is making his film debut here, and I have an enormous amount of admiration for this guy. He uses that kind of schizophrenic irony to tell this story. What Kelly has accomplished is a film that contains not only the fictional story of a young man’s struggle with what seems to be hallucinations and various social issues, but also topics of time travel, dysfunctional family orientation, and extreme teenage angst. But Kelly does it so freely.
This isn’t a showoff film, although it could be. And it isn’t a “look-what-I-can-do” flick, although it should be. Visually this is a beautiful picture. The cinematography, done by Steven Poster, is just as indescribable as the film itself. What we’re searching for here is a look, because this film feels weird. Without that stunning photography, Kelly would have had a tougher time pulling this one off.
What Richard Kelly has accomplished is proving that he is not only a writing force to be reckoned with, but a creator of internally memorable characters. Drew Barrymore is Donnie’s English teacher, who seems at times to be as quirky as Donnie himself. I’m still not sure, but it could be that her character (and the character of Grandma Death, for those of you who know who I’m talking about) is far more important than is let on. That is a daringly original thing to do: let an audience leave a film not sure of the importance of characters. But it works.
The only solid thing I can conclude about the plot of this film is that it is amazing; a rousing, complex showcase of beyond-brilliant storytelling in a story which Kelly allows us to figure out. Whether that very thing is possible is debatable, considering it’s almost infinite meanings and revelations.
So what does “Donnie Darko” say? Well, to me, it is a deeply moving (and sometimes hilariously satirical) search for answers. It’s a search for God. It’s a search for friends. It’s a search for normality in an ironically irregular film with scattered convictions that we are left to pick up. The only practical choice is viewing this film multiple times.
Practicality, however, will not be found here. This is a motion picture that chooses to stop where it wants. We aren’t given much to understand – but that is the single most beautiful thing about it. I’m sure I, like Donnie, will be searching for answers long after practicality is dismissed as unusable. ****