Arts & Entertainment
 

Kelly's 'Darko' tells a new story

Despite Hollywood tired story lines, one film proves to be more than normal

by Ian McDonald
The Daily Cougar

In the past decade or two, Hollywood has produced countless movies surrounding the popular topic of teenage angst, many of which seem to tread along the same banal, painfully familiar plot lines of adolescent love, loss and rebellion. Case in point -- director Richard Kelly's directorial debut, Donnie Darko. We all know the story by heart: boy meets girl, girl likes boy, boy has paranoid schizophrenic hallucinations of a demonic six-foot tall bunny rabbit who impels him to act out violent compulsions while simultaneously placating the idea of time travel. Wait -- movie fans everywhere should be glad it doesn't ring the bell of familiarity.

A handful may recall its short-lived appearance on the big screen during the holiday season of 2001, and even fewer may have actually seen it. Because of its lack of interest and low ticket sales (a whopping $500,000 at the box office) Darko struggled to keep its head in the spotlight for even a week in most U.S. cities. However, the film's creators were pleasantly perplexed once the movie was re-introduced to the public -- this time in DVD format. Sales skyrocketed to more than $25 million, quickly quadrupling the film's original budget. On that account, Fox Studios happily raked in the hefty profit with one hand and scratched their heads with the other, pondering the phenomenon. Darko had apparently become a true cult classic, complete with an army of loyal followers.

This film is a rare breed in the overall spectrum of the American movie library, in the sense that a general description of theme or category may not be uttered without sacrificing a little thought. Part of what makes Darko so different and refreshing from the majority is the amount of dimensional variety involved.

Though the concept of the movie is generally without comedy, a significant portion of its curious appeal can be attributed to instances of witty dialogue found mostly during the first half of the film, before the plot begins to twist. An early scene at the family dinner table quickly establishes Kelly's belief in dark humor.

The bulk of the story will probably be categorized as something rooted in science fiction. This is a safe assumption seeing that Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), the 16-year-old schizophrenic protagonist, maintains a bizarre relationship with Frank (James Duval), a creepy human-size demoniac rabbit from the future who thrives within Donnie's unconscious world. Simply watching the consequences of the two characters' surreal interactions was enough to keep many eyes glued to the screen. To reinforce the sci-fi dimension, Donnie's life becomes even more complicated once he learns he must travel time in order to escape a tragic destiny. Yet, taking into account the extremely awkward scope, Kelly succeeds beautifully in making the pieces fit.

In spite of all this, most importantly are the underlying variables. Any time hallucinations and violent emotional problems are combined in a movie, one can bet that a psychological-thriller is unfolding. After watching Darko multiple times, hidden representations of foreshadowing and answers to the mysterious conclusion begin to reveal themselves. The entire movie radiates a vibe similar to Stir of Echoes or The Sixth Sense.

Darko is set around Halloween of 1988. This decision made obvious limitations on the soundtrack, but not in a bad way. It incorporates many greats from the 1980s, including a fantastic remake of a Tears for Fears original performed by Gary Jules. "Mad World" is one of the best renditions of the original.

This film is like no other, and understandably boasts a huge cult following. It evokes nearly the entire range of human emotion from being sidesplitting hilarious to dark and depressing. Darko is difficult to experience only once. Ultimately, if a label must be placed on Kelly's masterpiece, Darko is a dark-comedy-sci-fi-psychological-thriller with an all-star cast, though the star power has little to do with making the film a classic success for the ages.

Donnie Darko

Directed by Richard Kelly
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