Always Right Movie Review'dustries

What do time travel, fundamentalist gurus, fate, predestination, schizophrenia, Michael Dukakis, a monstrous pooka, and high school all have in common? They all seem to be intertwined in the life of Donnie Darko, a mal-adjusted teenager who is in therapy and on medication. Shortly after inexplicably escaping death from a fallen jet engine that destroyed his room, Donnie is contacted by a pooka named Frank who tells him that the world will end in 28 days. Frank also tells Donnie that he is a time traveler, and he instructs Donnie to perform anti-social acts such as flooding his school and burning down a local author's home.

Donnie discusses his visions of Frank the pooka with his therapist, who quickly concludes that Donnie is schizophrenic. Even Donnie appears to believe this diagnosis, although his interactions with Frank spur him into investigating time travel. Donnie's search eventually convinces him that he understands how to travel through time. Is Donnie merely a disturbed schizophrenic, or does he hold the key to preventing the imminent end of the world?

This movie provides one of the most interesting character studies I have ever seen. Donnie struggles with his demons, both literally and figuratively all throughout the movie. He knows that he has emotional problems, and he goes against social norms by telling people right out what he thinks about them, yet at times his actions appear to be self-sacrificing and heroic. Does Donnie deserve the label of "disturbed individual" that he is branded with, or is he just another misunderstood member of society who, in spite of his rough exterior, has a good heart?

Overall, I'd have to give Donnie Darko a rating of Godlike with the caveat that if you don't like the works of Philip K. Dick, you probably won't like this movie. (Even though Philip had nothing to do with this movie, it very much reminded me of his works.)