Donnie Darko In recent years, Hollywood has specialized in producing mainstream trash; generic fodder not even suitable for the cutting room floor. Yet despite their flaws, these films continue to enjoy success at the box office. Sequel after sequel, photo remake after photo remake, frequently taking the box office by storm while simultaneously relegating smaller independent projects to now relatively unknown arthouse cinemas. The tragedy is that independent filmmakers are often those with the most talent; the most creativity; the most flair. One such filmmaker is director Richard Kelly, who saw the release of his sci-fi-horror-tragedy-comedy-romance thriller Donnie Darko last year. After reading some rave reviews about the film, I decided to take a look to find out what the movie was about. Donnie is a seventeen year old boy who suffers from major emotional problems. He suffers from a psychological condition not unlike toschizophrenia and lives most of his life in a state of drug-induced dizziness. We watch as Donnie meets Frank, a six-foot-tall rabbit who predicts the end of worlds. Returning home, Donnie finds a jet engine protruding from the side of his bedroom. The rest of the film follows Donnie's acceptance of Frank's ghostly presence in his life, the purpose of his existence, and the fact that the world will end unless he intervenes. Without giving too much away, I can safely say that Donnie Darko is in Donnie's mind. -blowing experience. And I use the word "experience" in its truest sense...... middle of paper...... Also, the last lines of the film, without telling you what they are, are significant on many levels, and marks the end of a film charged with emotion, surrealism and subtle beauty. I implore you to watch this movie. It's certainly not for everyone, and will likely be dismissed by much of the film released to the public as pretentious, artsy nonsense. Donnie Darko only saw a very short and unsuccessful American film with very little hype. Hilarious, heartbreaking, sad, terrifying, profound, intellectually stimulating, emotionally absorbing and thematically relevant, it is easily the best film of 2002. And for anyone I want to know if there is any rawness in the way of American Pie, unfortunately not - although at one point we are treated to a rather interesting discussion about the sex lives of the smurfs..