Donnie Darko (5 Stars)

For me this was a dream come true: the chance to see "Donnie Darko" in the cinema. I missed it when it was the cinema 20 years ago. At the time I lived next to a large cinema on the edge of Birmingham. I walked past the cinema every day on the way to the bus stop. I even remember seeing the poster for "Donnie Darko" hanging outside. The blue shading made it look like a horror film, so I wasn't interested. In 2001 there was already Internet, but it wasn't as prolific then as it is today. What I mean is, it wasn't as easy to find summaries of new films as it is today. So I missed it.

I forgot all about it until three years later. I was chatting about films in an IRC chat room. One of the girls said, "Donnie Darko is the best film ever made". Another girl replied, "Yes, it is". That made me jump in my chair. Two people told me a film was the best film they'd ever seen, and it was a film I'd never seen. I couldn't let that rest. When we stopped chatting I ordered the film online before going to bed. That was 16th April 2004. (Amazon keeps perfect record of my orders). It arrived a few days later, and the rest is history. It immediately became one of my favourite films. In my recent top 100 film list I put it in second place. 

I always regretted never having seen the film on the big screen. Now I finally had a chance. There was a special screening today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release. It was shown in connection with a strange short film called "Nimic" starring Matt Dillon. I've never been a fan of short films. Either too little happens or too little is explained. In this case it was the latter.

The theatre was almost full, apart from the empty seats necessary for the Coronavirus social distancing. Before the film began, the host asked how many of us had already seen the film in the cinema. Very few hands went up. Evidently, the film was never shown in German cinemas, apart from film festivals. In 2001 "Donnie Darko" was shown at the Fantasy Film Festival in Stuttgart. Then the host asked how many had never seen "Donnie Darko" before. About a third of the audience put their hands up. That amazed me. I thought that almost everyone would be a fan of the film. However, I envy the first-timers. "Donnie Darko" is a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. I tried to forget the film and enjoy it as one of them. The film is overwhelming. So much happens, and the intensity steadily increases as the film progresses. When the song "Mad World" began in the final scene, I had tears in my eyes.

"Donnie Darko" isn't an easy film to understand. It's a film that needs to be watched several times. If it's too complicated for you, watch the Director's Cut, in which there are additional scenes that explain things. Then go back and watch the theatrical version again, because it's better. Take my word for it.

Now I want to see the film in the cinema again. Maybe the 25th anniversary, if I live that long. I'll probably watch it on disc again in the next few weeks.

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