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I’m not sure that much can really compare to Erik’s inaugural choice (*Footloose *and “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/26/our-favorite-montages-footloose/)), but the Tears for Fears montage near the beginning of Donnie Darko](Donnie Darko (2001) - Movie | Moviefone) is, by far, my most favorite in years. I can’t say why exactly, but the simple act of tipping the camera as the bus’ back door opens – with Donnie’s feet hitting the ground in time with the music – instantly charmed me, and my instantaneous love for the scene grew with each passing moment.
I was never a Tears for Fears fan, but my opinion started to change as “Head Over Heels” pulled us through the pre-bell morning. Usually there is a longer passage of time for montages, but this time around, things are just slightly sped so that we may spy on the power dynamics at Donnie’s school – the self-help obsessed teacher, the bullies, the loner, and Drew Barrymore’s thinly veiled disgust of Sparkle Motion.
Of course, this scene is one of a few montages and music-led sequences in the film, and I’d be remiss not to mention the second-best, the other bookend to the film. Once again, it’s led by Tears for Fears, but this time under a heart-wrenching delivery by Gary Jules. You can watch both after the jump.
All around me are familiar faces…