Dark Matter poster & wallpaper

Ye Liu, Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn

The feature film debut of renowned opera and theater director Chen Shi-Zheng, Dark Matter delves into the world of Liu Xing (Chinese for “Shooting Star”), a Chinese science student pursuing a Ph.D. in...( read more  read more... ) the United States in the early 1990s. Driven by ambition, yet unable to navigate academic politics, Liu Xing is inexorably pushed to the margins of American life, until he loses his way.

Liu Xing (Liu Ye) arrives at a big Western university with plans to study the origins of the universe. At first, his experience is a heady rush of expectation and optimism. He finds other Chinese students to share a cheap apartment with him, and flirts with an attractive American girl who works in a local tea shop. When the head of the department, Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn), welcomes Liu Xing into his select cosmology group, it seems that only hard work stands between him and a bright future in American science. At an orientation for foreigners sponsored by a local church, Joanna Silver (Meryl Streep), a wealthy patron of the university, notices the earnest student. An unspoken bond forms between them.

Liu Xing becomes Reiser’s protégé, accompanying him to a prestigious conference where he makes an impressive debut. He is drawn to the study of dark matter, an unseen substance that shapes the universe, but it soon becomes clear that his developing theories threaten Reiser’s conflicting theories and well-established studies. Excited by the possibility of a breakthrough, Liu Xing is deaf to warnings that he must first pay his dues. When he is eclipsed within the department by Laurence, a more dutiful Chinese student, Liu Xing is forced to go behind Reiser’s back to publish his discoveries. When the article draws ire instead of accolades, he turns to Joanna, who naively encourages him on his collision course.

Liu Xing clings to the idea of American science as a free market of ideas, and American society as wide open to immigrants. But in the end, his dissertation is rejected, and the girl in the tea shop brushes him off. His roommates find jobs, leaving him behind. Too proud to accept help from Joanna, and unwilling to return home to his parents, Liu Xing becomes a ghost-like presence at the university. Left alone with his shattered dreams, he explodes in a final act of violence.

Inspired by actual events, Dark Matter was written by Billy Shebar with a story by Shebar and Chen Shi-Zheng. The film was financed by American Sterling Productions, and produced by Janet Yang of American Sterling Productions and Mary Salter and Andrea Miller of Saltmill LLC. Kirk D’Amico and Linda Chiu are executive producers. Dark Matter was the Alfred P. Sloan prize winner at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Flixster Users

43% liked it

10,798 ratings

Critics

37% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Chen Shi-Zheng

Release Date: April 11, 2008

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 14, 2009

Get It:

Stats: 231 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

Dark Matter
Upload a Photo |

View All Dark Matter Photos (1)

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (231)

  • ceWEBrity
    May 1, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    Amateurishly directed with a hilariously shitty final quarter, but not without some scattered merits.

    More later
  • mrpopcorn
    September 21, 2008
    mrpopcorn
    "The universe is made mostly of dark matter and dark energy, and we don't know what either of them is" - Saul Perlmutter

    Inspired by actual events, director Chen Shi-Zheng's socially conscious psychological drama follows the journey of an ambitious Chinese scientist worki...( read more)ng towards his Ph.D. in America, only to be marginalized to the extent that he ultimately loses his way. All Liu Xing (Liu Ye) ever wanted was to study the origins of the universe at a Western university. Upon arriving at the school, Liu immediately rents a modest apartment with a few other Chinese students and begins flirting with the pretty American who works at the local coffee shop. Personally welcomed into Department Head Jacob Reiser's (Aidan Quinn) select cosmology group, Liu remains dedicated to his studies and optimistic about the future. Things continue to look up as Liu becomes close with wealthy university patron Johanna Silver (Meryl Streep) after the two become acquainted at an orientation for foreigners sponsored by a local church.

    Eventually, Liu becomes Reiser's protégé, and makes a sizable impression at a prestigious conference attended by the pair. But attitudes start to shift when Liu's studies in dark matter come into direct conflict with his mentor's prominent theories and well-established studies. His excitement about a potential breakthrough causes him to ignore repeated warnings that he must pay his dues, and Liu's findings are eventually eclipsed by that of more studious fellow student Laurence. Determined to have his studies published, Liu goes behind Reiser's back, but he ultimately becomes the target of ire rather than accolades, with Johanna's naïve encouragement prompting him along a dangerous collision course. While Liu remains enamored with the concept of the American dream and optimistic about American science being a free market of ideas, he begins to grow dejected after his dissertation is rejected, the girl at the coffee shop blows him off, and his roommates all find lucrative jobs. Essentially left behind at the university, Liu rejects Johanna's offer for help and vows not to return home to disappointed parents. Now, as he coasts on the fumes of his unrealized dreams, the dishonored student prepares to lash out with one final act of devastating annihilation.

    A fairly good film with a promising plot and class A actors but what really brought this film down I think is the way the director handled his cluttered vision of the premise and it came out too messy for me. The special effects were really unnecessary, this is an indie art house flick so its alright if you don't use special effects if its not really called to the occasion. And the repetitive use of overly sentimental shots of lead character Liu Xing was a bit annoying, I mean I already get the scene was emotional, I don't need to stare in the face of a mopey chinese guy for a long period of time contemplating his streaks of bad luck.

    On the other hand though, the actors in the film were really exceptional. Lead Liu Ye, who is apparently a big shot actor in China marks his American debut with this film. The material given maybe a bit too cluttered but he did his best with it and came out really good. I can't really say his debut went out with a bang but he's almost there. Meryl Streep of course, always the pro. You can't go wrong with the lady.

    Overall, I'd say the acting was exceptional and the plot is really promising but the material is just too cluttered and messy for my style. Should have left the unnecessary special effects in the cutting room floor.

    3/5
  • adfill7
    March 10, 2009
    adfill7
    Dark Matter is a really entertaining and moving film, but I felt like the main character slipped into madness a little too easily and quickly. The film was especially interesting because I got to hear the director of the movie speak after the screening I attended.
  • dukeakasmudge
    October 14, 2009
    dukeakasmudge
    Great movie.I was hooked from start to finish.
  • italysqueenie
    July 27, 2009
    italysqueenie
    very good movie...I liked how it showed the intelegence of the Chinese...Its a bit like GoodWill Hunting...but no happy endings...
  • navinpai
    July 11, 2009
    navinpai
    Very interesting movie... I loved it!!The hopes and dreams of people coming from a developing country to a developed country with hopes of proving themselves has been portrayed beautifully!! It really showed how a person can go from Genius to moron in an academic sense, just beca...( read more)use he/she thinks differently from his/her teacher....Infact I myself have been caught up on the wrong side of my teacher quite a few times simply because I contradicted what they said in class!! The climax of this movie is very surreal!!
  • Ghw12158
    April 18, 2009
    Ghw12158
    why is Streep in this? thats the dark matter here
  • Susumi
    January 4, 2009
    Susumi
    Meryl Streep is as good as always.

View All Dark Matter Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 11, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

An unsuccessful mix of drama and social warning. Post-Virginia Tech, Dark Matter seems merely naïve. full review

April 9, 2008
Armond White, The New York Press

It's credit to both Streep and Quinn's integrity that Dark Matter uncovers the natural instincts and social foibles that underpin racism. full review

April 6, 2008
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Aside from depicting American academia as a cutthroat environment that can inspire deadly resentment, there's not much going on. full review

View more Dark Matter reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Dark Matter" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Official Trailer

View Larger Dark Matter Trailer

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Natural Born Killers
    Natural Born Killers (40%)
  • Falling Down
    Falling Down (50%)
  • He Was A Quiet Man
    He Was A Quiet Man (50%)

More Movies like Dark Matter

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Dark Matter : Watch Free on TV

Dark Matter Trivia

  • Which of these movies was not originally a novel by stephen king?  Answer »
  • Which character in Spaceballs said "What's the matter Colonel Sanders? Chicken?"  Answer »
More Dark Matter Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Dark Matter. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Dark Matter Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Dark Matter to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Dark Matter News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

debmm Skin by debmm
10 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins