It’s 1988 and Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a suburban teen. Donnie has been going on late night bike rides, sleepwalking, and seeing a therapist as well as a newfound friend, Frank, who wears a giant rabbit costume (and who may be a hallucination). Donnie’s dating a new girl in town, Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone), and their high school is in turmoil. Some bizarre acts of vandalism have been blamed on course content (assigned by English teacher Karen Pomeroy, played by Drew Barrymore), and some parents have enlisted motivational speaker Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) to set them straight. Donnie’s younger sister is in a dance group called, ‘Sparkle Motion’, and doomsday predictions loom. Donnie Darko deftly mixes disparate tones for a unique film that has found a rabid cult following.
“Haunting and altogether exquisite.” — Sight & Sound
English
United States