Donnie Darko

If you prefer films in a dark, satirical manner with a non-linear time structure that is wildly unpredictable, you will be extremely challenged by Richard Kelly’s 2001 film entitled Donnie Darko. The film centers on Donnie Darko himself, the character that portrays a teenager who has trouble with hallucinations thus forming his own alternate realities. Donnie makes good friends with Frank, an eerie rabbit, in his dream who tells him that the apocalypse is coming in exactly 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. Donnie is faced with psychological challenges throughout the film, forcing him to undergo time travel to try and save the world from coming to an end. Frank is the sole purveyor of unfortunate events, but is Frank just a fragment of Donnie’s mind or really a Messenger sent to save the world from apocalyptic demise? After 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds, do you think Donnie is able to save the world?

The film is unconventional in more ways than one and Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Donnie Darko in the most perfect way possible. It’s the kind of ending in a film that leaves the viewer with many questions left unanswered, and is forced to contemplate a little bit further on the plot of the story. The last scene is the most powerful one, wherein all the characters involved are shown to have felt the aftermath of a dream that felt so real. Then the film leaves you with a question that yearns to be answered, Is reality just a dream? Or is your dream your reality?

CV Tip: Due to the confusing timeline of the story, you should read up on the director’s commentary available on the internet. Without this information, you really won’t be able to understand the key parts of the film. There’s a huge cult following on the internet but the official website for Donnie Darko is a cryptic, puzzle-like maze just like the film.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

         Seldom do we ever come across films that can successfully capture the life and scenery of a city so imagine my joy when I came across Vicky Cristina Barceolona. VCB centers on two American best friends who spend their summer vacation in the idyllic Barcelona, Spain. They end up being enamored by Julio Antonio, a complex character that they both eventually fall in love with. Vicky is the typical self-control freak in all of us who believes in the usual fundamentals of morals, values and principles. Her comfort zone has refrained her from compromising these until she meets Juan Antonio. Cristina, on the other hand, is the wilder side in us that begs to experience the foreign and unknown. She is the constant, self-doubting voice in our heads that pushes us beyond our limits. She dominates the right, artistic brain that continually tries to solve the all-too familiar problem of the meaning of life. If both types of personalities happen to fall in love with the same man, what could be the repercussions of each? Throw in another psychotic character who is the ex-wife of Julio Antonio, played by the seductive Penelope Cruz, definitely thickens the plot.

        The film is a refreshing look into the beautiful mind of famous director, Woody Allen. He brings his viewers from Avieles, to an enchanting town of Oviedo, and lastly, a part of Seville. The film is culturally rich with references to art museums, lyrical Spanish guitars, the usual wine-tasting and the unmistakable sultry accent of Julio Antonio played by Javier Bardem. If you enjoy learning about a city’s culture by taking a peek into an artists’ brain, such as musicians, poets, writers, photographers, and painters alike, you will definitely enjoy this film!