Donnie Darko

This is part of my section on alternative film recommendations, check out the Films to See category for other recommendations.

Now, a lot of people in the UK will have heard of Donnie Darko. It was championed by a Radio 1 DJ, and one of the songs from the soundtrack was Christmas number 1 in 2003 (was it really that long ago?). Donnie Darko (Jake Gylenhall) is a troubled teenager who is having visions of a man called Frank, who happens to be dressed in a full-length bunny suit. Under his influence, Donnie sleepwalks and commits various acts of violence and destruction, waking up somewhere else with only a faint idea of what he’s done. At school, Donnie finds Gretchen (Jena Malone), a new girl who he falls in love with. The plot gets a little confusing, involving time travel and the end of the world, but trust me, it is well worth sticking it out. The characters are interesting and three-dimensional and the cast well chosen, the music fits the feel of the movie and is funky besides, and the story just grips you. This is a film that will leave you thinking about it long after the credits roll.