Donnie Darko

Part comic book, part case study, Donnie Darko is the most venturesome American independent of the past year. A wondrous, moody piece of work that employs XFiles magic realism to galvanise a tale of late ’80s suburban teen angst. Kelly fiddles with normality from the opening scene, wherein the sitcom Darko family gathers to partake of a delivered pizza and the revelation that middle child Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is off his medication and receiving messages from outer space. That night, Donnie is summoned from his bedroom and thus avoids the plane engine that inexplicably crashes through the ceiling. Increasingly delusional, he is convinced that the world will end in 28 days.With Drew Barrymore as Donnie’s English teacher, Katharine Ross as his therapist, and Patrick Swayze as a demonic motivational speaker, the casting is both showy and inspired. But the emotional weight rests on the hunched shoulders of Jake Gyllenhaal who, refusing to make direct contact with the camera, convincingly portrays Donnie’s eccentric genius. Although the big influence seems the apocalyptic Magnolia, the film is steeped in 1980s pop culture. Donnie Darko has received a mixed response. No less than its hero, the movie has its awkward moments. But Kelly has a sure sense of his own narrative, skillfully guiding it through the climactic carnival of souls. (Jim Hoberman writes for The Village Voice)