“It is only upon a recent revisit that the sheer achievement of Richard Kelly’s mesmerizing, unnerving calling card has become clear,” we recently said, naming Donnie Darko one of the best-sci-fi films of the century. “It is a masterclass in atmosphere, lulling viewers into its clutches with oozing cinematography, spectrally seductive sound design, and a young Jake Gyllenhaal’s stupefied, haunted performance. Its unhinged, metaphysical plotting is coupled with some truly unforgettable imagery — namely in a movie theater — and genuine levity amongst the disheartening ruminations of its protagonist that every living creature on Earth dies alone.”
In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Kelly’s debut is now back in a restored edition to haunt your nightmares with new clarity, and hopefully clear up the plot for some. Arrow Films has restored both the theatrical edition (running 113 minutes) and the director’s cut (running 134 minutes) and will be showing them in London next month (featuring Q&As with Kelly) ahead of a Blu-ray release. While no word about a theatrical or home video release has been unveiled yet for the United States, we’d imagine one is in the works. As we await more details, check out a new trailer below.
Update: As expected, the restoration will come to the U.S. on March 31st in LA and NY and expand from there. See more details at EW.
This mind-bending cult classic gets a loving restoration. October, 1988. In the middle of the night, a man in a monstrous rabbit suit appears to Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled teenager living with his family in suburban Virginia, to tell him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. And so, a cult movie is born. As Donnie’s grip on reality weakens, we’re drawn into the darkness that lurks underneath the surface of suburbia. Underappreciated upon its initial release in 2001, Richard Kelly’s mind-bending film gets the 4K restoration treatment and is ripe for rediscovery on the big screen.
See details on the December screenings in the U.K. here.