Donnie Darko (2001)

High school student Donnie Darko's world is going to end in twenty-eight days. How does he know this? Because a vision of Frank-- a man in a very twisted-looking rabbit suit-- told him so. And Frank has some other things to tell Donnie, too, things that he'd better make some sense of before it's too late. Sound ridiculous? Maybe. But to a paranoid schizophrenic like Donnie Darko, daytime hallucinations are a very real part of his world. And as Donnie's world begins to unravel more and more, it's going to take every friend he has-- both real and imaginary-- to unlock the secret of saving himself and his loved ones before he completely loses his mind.

First-time writer/director Richard Kelly has created a gem in Darko Darko. Themes of philosophy, psychology, time travel, relationships, religion, and all the best and worst elements of humanity come together in a very imaginative story that is truly mindbending. The casting is excellent, the setting and atmosphere are extremely immersive, and the soundtrack is superb. I felt a very American Beauty-like vibe to the film, a sense of hope and redemption even in tragedy. Universal themes of changing the world and sacrificing oneself for their loved ones are here, but Kelly weaves them together in an intricate fashion to create a very original story.

If you like neat, tidy Hollywood endings, you'll be very confused by this film. But if you thrive on the kinds of momentous pictures that hold you spellbound throughout and leave saying "whoa..." at the end, then don't you dare miss Donnie Darko.