Donnie Darko

About the film
The dark sci-fi gem Donnie Darko from 2001 grew into of the cult films of the early 2000s largely through word of mouth. Director Richard Kelly's debut had a forgettable run in cinemas, released just two months after 9/11 with promotional focus on a plane crash, seemingly destined to fail. Despite this rocky start, Donnie Darko became a true underground hit on DVD, a 'must-see' for cinephiles drawn to eccentric cinema.

Donnie Darko is best described as a surreal odyssey filled with bizarre visions, intricate time travel, and a standout performance by a young Jake Gyllenhaal. He compellingly portrays a troubled teenager grappling with hallucinations and paranoid thoughts aided by antidepressants, complicated by the haunting presence of a sinister man in a rabbit suit offering cryptic glimpses of the future. Spoiler alert: it's far from reassuring.

Despite its potential as a bleak psychological drama on paper, Donnie Darko blends mystery and darkness with delightful, pitch-black humour and visual ingenuity. These elements contributed to its cult success as a Lynchian mind-bender. The film rightfully secured the 2nd spot in Empire's "50 Greatest Independent Films of All Time" and 53rd in Empire's "500 Greatest Movies of All Time."

"I want to emphasise the different storylines with BL!NDMAN without falling into the clichés of traditional 'horror movie' accompaniment. The typical eighties songs (Duran Duran, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, ...) are of course preserved as such. it's an arsenal of instruments (saxophones, percussion, turntables, electronics) that will give the film's sound a physical presence. The musicians on stage are part of another parallel world, a tribe elsewhere in time and space." - Eric Sleichim, saxophonist and composer BL!NDMAN

About BL!NDMAN
BL!NDMAN is a saxophone quartet founded by saxophonist and composer Eric Sleichim, forming the core of the BL!NDMAN collective named after Marcel Duchamp's magazine The Blind Man. Sleichim guides audiences through challenging sonic landscapes.

Exploring with open ears and rebellious expertise, Sleichim pushes the boundaries of saxophone sound. Non-conventional techniques like pops, smacks, and valve noises, alongside the instrument's tonal qualities and electronic enhancements, define BL!NDMAN's DNA. In his quest for new saxophone possibilities, Sleichim also delves into early music, often composing arrangements for saxophone quartet and electronics.

BL!NDMAN thrives on adventurous collaborations across various artistic disciplines. From its inception, the quartet has received commissions from the theater and dance worlds, gaining international acclaim for its multidisciplinary approach, including live music performances for (silent) film.