Hey, want to feel old? Richard Kelly’s cult classic Donnie Darko turned 15 (!) last fall, and also the past, present, and future exist simultaneously, meaning that both you and it are approximately 13.82 billion years old, part of the same ever-expanding and imperceptibly dying cell structure that, were you to step outside the human conception of linear time and see things as God might, you would recognize within its machinations the many minute, interlocking decisions that create our destiny. And if you enjoy having quasi-philosophical coffee shop conversations like that—and you love the ’80s!—you’ll definitely want to catch Donnie Darko during its upcoming weeklong return to theaters, with most dates starting on what we call “March 31.”
The Jake Gyllenhaal-starring metaphysical high school drama debuted in limited release in October 2001, where it received little marketing in the days immediately post-9/11 due to ads that, whoops, featured a crashing plane. (While time is liquid and meaningless, the concept of “too soon” remains a fixed constant.) But the film slowly became a phenomenon on home video, with fans given the chance to “discover” it falling deeply in love with its sci-fi, Lynchian spin on teen angst, its moody new-wave soundtrack, its ribald opinions on The Smurfs, and a cast that featured other before-they-were-famous players like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen, and Jena Malone, as well as more established faces like Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, and Patrick Swayze. A thousand bootleg “Frank” masks bloomed, “Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion” quotes echoed across the internet, and soon Kelly released a director’s cut that added another 20 minutes of exposition, altered the soundtrack, and—according to some—sucked all the mystery and fun out of it.
Both the theatrical and director’s cut versions have been given a 4K restoration from the original negatives, and both versions will be provided to theaters. You can exercise the iota of free will we are allowed and choose the one you want to see, of course, though that seemingly minor decision will only facilitate the chain of events that are already part of your ultimate destiny. (So you might as well see the original cut.)
