The cult film of the year, painted.

Frank is a rabbit. Which is fine, except that he’s six feet tall and says the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Which is not so good. Particularly as high school weird boy Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the only one who sees him, and takes his word as gospel when a 747 jet engine lands on the Darko family home.

First-time director Richard Kelly has mixed teen comedy with horror, and come up with one of the best films of the year. Albeit one that seemingly makes little sense, plot wise. So what’s it actually about? “I put together a website for the film,” says Kelly. “You can go there and read documents, which serve as a kind of prologue and epilogue. It’s my solution to the puzzle, I guess.” But maybe it’s better without a solution. “Well, it doesn’t mean that I’m right. It’s just my opinion. The solution that I give is pretty cryptic. It’s more of a theory really. Hopefully it will just confuse people even more. ”

To tie in with the film’s UK release, Metrodome Distribution have teamed up with London’s Signal Project and commissioned 14 British graffiti artists to produce canvases inspired by Donnie. So does Kelly feel strange, seeing so many artists using his film as inspiration. “It’s beyond bizarre, but in a really good way,” he told us on the opening night. And what does he think of the, er, Smurf orgy, one of Donnie’s talking points in the film, painted lovingly by Insa. “I just think it’s hilarious man. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time when I saw that.” Jonathan Carter 24 October 02

They Made Me Do It runs for 28 days at dreambagsjaguarshoes, 34-46 Kingsland Road, London from 25 October.

useful link: www.donniedarko.com