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Essay on Donnie Darko

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Donnie Darko In recent years, Hollywood has specialised in churning out mainstream trash; generic fodder not even fit for the cutting room floor. Yet despite these movies' shortcomings, they continue to enjoy success at the box office. Sequel upon sequel, photo fit remake upon photo fit remake, frequently taking the box office by storm whilst simultaneously relegating smaller independent projects to the now relatively unheard-of arthouse cinemas. The tragedy is that the independent filmmakers are often those with the most talent; the most creativity; the most flair. One such filmmaker is director Richard …show more content…

In fact, each frame speaks to us on more profound terms than the majority of arthouse films would claim to do. This is, in part, due to the impeccable performances by each and every member of the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal, a relative unknown, delivers a subtle yet emotionally charged performance as Donnie himself - the scene in which he tells his psychologist of his various childhood traumas is made both funny and moving by the haunting way in which Jake delivers each line, contrasted with the almost childish qualities of his movements on the couch. Most incredible of all, however, is his terrifying screen presence as he trudges slowly through a deserted corridor or along a dark street, head tilted slightly forward, face fixed in a confused, bewildered expression. Drew Barrymore is also superb as the liberal high school teacher rejected and scorned in a Conservative education system, while Patrick Swayze is excellent in his extended cameo, a smartly observed satire of a self-help guru with a few skeletons in the closet.

Where the movie comes into its own, however, is in its ability to incorporate and deal with a variety of genres. Every movie genre seems to make an appearance, so much so that to categorise the movie as simply a "psychological horror" or a "supernatural thriller" would be an unforgivable insult. Even

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