# ADSactly Cinema: Cult Movies - Donnie Darko
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Hello, dear @adsactly readers and cinema lovers!
I must start this post with a confession - I only saw the movie “Donnie Darko” a couple of years ago, long after its 2001 premiere. In my defense, few people did see it at the time of its release, which came at a very unfortunate moment, less than a month after 9/11. Add to this the fact that the movie starts with a plane crash and you will understand why the movie did not get any publicity at the time.

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And yet, today Donnie Darko is a cult movie, with an army of loyal fans and excellent ratings. According to many, it is the greatest cult movie in several decades, beating other great movies like “Reservoir Dogs” and “Requiem for a Dream”.
A cult movie is considered a film that goes almost unnoticed at the time of its premiere, makes very little money, but somehow manages to gather a lot of fans, its popularity growing over the years.
Even without 9/11, “Donnie Darko”, an indie production directed by a virtually unknown Richard Kelly, had no chance of being a commercial hit and a blockbuster.

It’s too weird a movie, that dwells on time travel, parallel universes, and, on top of that, features a creepy giant rabbit called Frank.
The plot revolves around the protagonist’s efforts to save the world, after the monstrous rabbit tells him the world will end in 28 days. The film was shot over exactly 28 days to match the script’s timeline.
I’m not going to even try to tell you the whole plot, as it is very complicated, with alternating universes or timelines. The kind of movie that, when the end credits start, lets you dumbstruck, wondering ‘what did I just see?’
The first thing I did after watching the movie was to go online and check if I understood it correctly. Fortunately, there are plenty of websites and forums dedicated to the cult of Donnie Darko, maintained by its passionate fans.

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As I was saying, the film had a modest opening and went almost straight to DVD. Its popularity grew mainly by word of mouth, especially among young people. The demand was so great that one American theater scheduled midnight screenings of the film for 28 months and it was never empty, as the fans enjoyed watching it in the company of like-minded people and never got tired of discussing the ever-growing movie-lore.
Years later, when a London cinema decided to show the movie, tickets were sold out overnight.
The film captivates the minds of science-fiction lovers with its tantalizing questions about the possibility of time travel, wormholes and crossing from one universe to another. Some have pointed out the science in the movie is a bit wrong, but fans couldn’t care less about that.
The atmosphere of the movie reminds viewers of a David Lynch film, while the imaginary rabbit appeals to comic book lovers. Speaking of the rabbit, the creepy Frank is now one of the most recognizable images of our modern culture. My own 11 years old son knew about Frank well before we sat down to watch the movie together.
Even more appreciated is the director’s cut version of “Donnie Darko, released three years later to raving reviews and great scores on movie sites.

>“I did the director’s cut which is a lot more detailed, and I put a lot more information out there that I created. I kind of just want to let people run with it and think what they want to think. I know a lot more about the blueprints of this universe, and I feel like I’ve built something pretty complicated, but at the same time, I kind of want people to think what they want to think, and they’re welcome to come up with whatever theories they want. I don’t want to discount anyone’s theater, really. I don’t want to tell someone that they’re wrong even if I disagree with them.”
>

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There is also a 2009 sequel, “S.Darko”, but director Richard Kelly was not involved in any way with that film and called upon his fan to ignore it.
There are however hopes that, one day, Kelly will write a real sequel, but it is not clear whether he will be able to do it, as he sold the rights to the “Donnie Darko” franchise soon after the 2001 premiere. Many fans are extremely sad about that sale, which they consider a terrible loss, but it must be said Kelly was only 24 at the time and had no experience with the movie industry.
Another reason to watch this movie, its excellent cast - with a young Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore, whose film company also produced the movie. Fans are forever indebted to Drew Barrymore since no ‘real’ production company would have made such a complex movie with an unknown director.
Have you seen “Donnie Darko”? If so, how did you like it?
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**Post authored by @ladyrebecca.**
**References:** [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Darko).</CENTER>