Looking for a movie to watch that will really hook you in? Donnie Darko is a science fiction psychological thriller written and directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Jena Malone. It has a play time of 1 hour and 53 minutes and features one of Tears for Fears’ best songs, “Head Over Heels.”
The movie takes place in a suburban neighborhood in the year 1988. Teenager and high schooler Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night to find himself facing a 6-foot-tall figure in a rabbit costume named Frank that only he is able to see. Frank tells Donnie that the world will end in exactly 28 days. When he returns home, he finds that a jet engine crashed into his room while he was out, possibly creating a parallel universe. Donnie suffers from some sort of mental illness, raising the question: will the world really end or is it all inside his head?
Either way, Donnie is forced to play a role to prevent the destruction of all life and existence itself. In his journey to defeat doom, he agrees to date one of his peers, Gretchen, and is guided by Frank and manipulated into committing different crimes. At the end of the 28 days, his fate is finally determined.
Donnie Darko has a rotten tomatoes rating of 88% and is considered one of the best films of all time by multiple movie critics. This movie is strange, suspenseful, and nothing short of bizarre. It’s the perfect choice if you’re looking to dive into a new, intriguing sci-fi realm!
