“I hope that when the world comes to an end, I can breathe a sigh of relief, because there will be so much to look forward to. “

In my mind, Donnie Darko is the most fascinating view of teenage life put to film. Although superficial, preposterous, and ultimately nonsensical at times, debut director Richard Kelly captures the fears, anxiety, and dreams of high school life while warped in a psychological time travel paradox.

    Meet our hero Donnie Darko, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Donnie is slightly disturbed. He is having problems both at school and home. He is hallucinating about a giant bunny rabbit named Frank who tells him the world will end in twenty-eight days, and then a jet engine crashes through his room while he is away.

Donnie lives in a world of strange people. His parents are disillusioned about his life. His sister (played by Gyllenhaal’s sister Maggie) has her own worries. His morals class teacher (Beth Grant) divides the entire notion of human emotion into fear and love. A new girl named Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone) gives Donnie a chance for love. And a strange self-help guidance counselor (Patrick Swayze) creates a weird paradox in Donnie’s mind. Yes, the world is a bizarre place for Donnie, but the twenty-eight days of his life become stranger.

To understand the time travel ideologies of Donnie Darko almost ruins the film in a way. The great existence of the film rests in its eternal mystery of time. What is our notion of time? What would happen if we could actually go back and change one thing about the past to affect the future? (See Ray Bradbury’s famous short story A Sound of Thunder). Maybe the answer lies in a single question Donnie asks. When Gretchen tells Donnie that his name sounds like a superhero, he simply replies, “What makes you think I’m not?”

Is Donnie a superhero? If we follow the classic model, he certainly is not. He is self centered, morally disenchanted, inappropriate, and ultimately scared of the future. But in our world, this is simply the teenager model. This is what Kelly is trying to say: Donnie is a normal teenager and makes many of the same mistakes all teenagers make. It’s his choice that separates him.

The end of the film gives Donnie a choice. He can save his girlfriend, family, and ultimately the entire universe through his sacrifice. He will never be known for his actions. He has seen how life continues if he doesn’t do this (in a paradoxical It’s a Wonderful Life). So he chooses death so others may live. It’s truly a remarkable idea.

But besides the story, director Kelly makes an impressive debut. When I think of his techniques, I think of his use of juxtaposing music upon scenes and the atmosphere he creates with the camera to fit those songs. From the opening quickly paced “The Killing Moon,” to the dark and slowly edited “Mad World,” Kelly flashes through his journey by using quicker and slower frame rates, extremely quick edits at points, and a haunting cinematography at times. He’s a great filmmaker that will get his recognition some day.

    Donnie Darko is ultimately a path of self-discovery. What choices will we make when we find ourselves in a frightening position? Who can we look to guidance? What is the true existence of human emotion, or even more the human race? Even if it’s hard to understand the answers that Richard Kelly somewhat answers, Donnie Darko is an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole, not worth missing.