Donnie Darko is an almost unclassifiable work that combines science fiction, teen angst, metaphysical philosophy, family drama, and spiritual sacrifice into one of the most visionary and ambitious American films of the 21st Century to date.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Donnie, an otherwise normal rebellious, angry kid who slumps and frumps his way through the confusion of his life. He just happens to have a little more confusion than the most of us, much of it caused by visitations from a demonic-looking six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him that the world is going to end in 26 days.
Wonderfully weird and haunted by the ghosts of teen angst warped by psychosis, Richard Kelly’s 2001 film debut presents Donnie as a contemporary Holden Caulfield in a grim and glorious world of nightmares and dreams: jet engines fall from an empty sky and alternate realities and time travel are as present as high school melodrama. At least they are to Donnie, who can suddenly see the fabric of fate in the ectoplasmic trajectories that lead us to our destiny.
But it’s also a frustrating world where fatuous platitudes are offered in place of practical advice, where censorship hangs over dedicated teachers like a sword of Damocles, and where teenagers aren’t trusted to handle the complexities of the world even though the mirror of literature and philosophy. It’s hard to tell exactly what it’s all about--schizophrenia, dream fantasy, or some David Lynch/Philip K. Dick mind warp drama wrapped in teenage alienation--but that’s part of its fascination.
Jena Malone is the new girl in school who takes a shine to the weird, darkly oddball Donnie, Drew Barrymore spins gold from a small role as an optimistic high school teacher, and Patrick Swayze is downright creepy as an unctuous motivational speaker oozing faux sincerity, but Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osborne (as Gyllenhaal’s emotionally stifled parents) are the heart of the film. Kelly winds so many ideas, so many questions, and so much marvelously strange experience through this ambitious film that you can forgive the few loose ends and overdone caricatures amidst the richness.
The film was a financial flop on its original release and quickly dropped out of American theaters but it rediscovered by a generation of high school kids and young adults on home video and was elevated to cult status. A few years later, the studio invited Kelly to go back and deliver a longer "Director's Cut" for a theatrical re-release. The two-disc set features both versions on separate discs.
The "Director's Cut" disc includes filmmaker commentary, a production diary, archival interviews, multiple featurettes, storyboard comparisons, and other supplements. Both versions of the film have been previously available on both DVD and Blu-ray, including an earlier special edition by Arrow. This 4K UHD release can only be played on 4K UHD-capable players, which will limit the potential for selection.