The term "cult movie" gets thrown around a lot. Well, that's not exactly true. The term "cult movie" used to get thrown around a lot. A cult movie used to be the kind of movie which was obscure, only seen by a small group of fans, and was the kind of film which one would have to seek out -- typically at a midnight screening. Eraserhead, Dawn of the Dead, and El Topo are just some examples of these films. But, today, with home video being so commonplace, it's hard for a movie to achieve "cult" status. When you can buy just about any movie on-line, it's hard for things to be obscure. But, there are still some films which defy categorization and must work to find an audience. Once this happens, the fans of that film become very devoted. Donnie Darko is one of the best examples of this in recent years.

Donnie Darko is set in 1988 and introduces us to the titular character (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a teenager with some problems. Due to committing arson, he is in therapy and on medication. He sleepwalks -- even going as far as to ride his bike quite a distance from his house. His older sister, Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal), is always arguing with their parents, Rose (Mary McDonnell) and Eddie (Holmes Osborne), about politics. Donnie's little sister, Samantha (Daveigh Chase), focuses on her dance troupe, "Sparkle Motion". One night, Donnie sleepwalks, following what appears to be a huge rabbit with a skull-like face. While he is gone, a jet engine lands on the house, crushing Donnie's bedroom. Following this, Donnie's life begins to get even stranger. He sees the rabbit, who calls himself Frank, more and more, and Frank tells Donnie to do things...bad things. Donnie becomes obsessed with the idea of time travel. The messages from Frank begin to co-mingle with themes from Donnie's everyday life, and he becomes convinced that something very big is about to happen to him and those around him.

On paper, Donnie Darko shouldn't be any good. As if the above description isn't any indication, the movie is a hodge-podge of ideas, and at times, it seems to be playing out as a series of random scenes than as a coherent story. The movie mixes ideas from teenage dramas, horror, and science-fiction in a way which threatens to send the film off of the tracks at any moment. The main character is a troubled young man who may be very dangerous, and thus, shouldn't be likable.

But, somehow, despite these issues, Writer/Director Richard Kelly has managed to create a modern-day classic. Upon first viewing the film, it's saving grace is Kelly's visual style. From the outset, Kelly shoots the film in a very dream-like manner, using slow-motion and canted angle. Staying true to the title, many of the scenes with Donnie are dark, playing in sharp contrast to the bright daytime of his suburban neighborhood. But, it's not just the look of the film, the design of Frank, the "Mongrel" mascot, and Grandma Death are very striking and Frank has become an instantly recognizable image from the movie. Allowing the visuals to draw you into the film, the viewer realizes that the movie does make an odd kind of sense. The seemingly random ideas begin to gel as the film progresses, and we grow fond of Donnie. While the movie straddles several genres, I'm always surprised by the strong emotional quality which inhabits the movie.

Donnie Darko achieves cult status by being one of those films that viewers are either going to love or hate. I can easily see some audience members finding the film confusing (more on that in a moment), hating Donnie, and feeling that Kelly was trying to hard with all of his 80's references. I like Donnie Darko because it's one of the few movies in my library which can really set off a debate. Did it all really happen? Did we just witness the delusions of a sick young man? What did happen at the end? The ending is very open to interpretation, and I must admit that I simply didn’t get it the first time. And while I usually detest movies which “leave it up to the audience” (I find this to be lazy), the message of Donnie Darko can be taken several ways and each viewer will unravel the finale in their own way.

As Donnie Darko has become a hit on home video (so much so that a direct-to-DVD sequel is set for release), it still has yet to be embraced by the masses. I predict that as time goes by, and more and more people see the film, it will be considered an important piece and become a standard in film criticism classes.