Donnie Darko In recent years Hollywood has specialized in churning out mainstream garbage; generic fodder, not even suitable for the cutting room floor. Yet despite their flaws, these films continue to be successful at the box office. Sequel after sequel, pic remake after pic remake, often taking over the box office while simultaneously relegating smaller indie projects to the now relatively unheard of arthouse theaters. The tragedy is that independent filmmakers are often the most talented; the greatest creativity; the most elegant. One such director is director Richard Kelly, who last year saw the release of his romantic drama-sci-fi-horror-tragedy-comedy-thriller Donnie Darko. After reading some rave reviews for the film, I decided to check it out to find out what all the fuss was about. Donnie is a seventeen year old boy with serious emotional problems. He suffers from a psychological condition not dissimilar to schizophrenia and lives much of his life in a drug-induced stupor. We watch Donnie meet Frank, a six-foot tall rabbit who predicts the end of worlds. Returning home, Donnie finds a jet engine sticking out of the side of his bedroom. The rest of the film follows as Donnie comes to terms with 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 on mind. - blowing experience. And I use the word "experience" in its truest meaning... middle of paper... Also, the last lines of the film, without telling you what they are, are significant on so many levels, and marks the end of a film steeped of emotions, surrealism and subtle beauty. I implore you to watch this film. It's definitely not for everyone, and will likely be dismissed by much of the film being released to the public as pretentious, arty nonsense. Donnie Darko only saw a brief and unsuccessful run in the United States and was accompanied by very little publicity. Hilarious, heartbreakingly sad, terrifying, profound, intellectually stimulating, emotionally engaging and thematically relevant, this is by far the best film of 2002. And for all those I'd like to know if there's any American Pie-style crudity, unfortunately not, although a at one point we are treated to a rather interesting discussion regarding the sexual lives of Smurfs.