After being postponed following the Virginia Tech shootings, Chen Shizheng’s Dark Matter will finally premiere in New York on April 11. Inspired by a true story, the film won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
Inspired by a true story, Dark Matter tells the story of Liu Xing (Liu Ye), one of thousands of Chinese academics awarded special visa status in the 1990’s to study in the United States. A promising graduate student in physics, Liu Xing’s goal is to win the Nobel Prize.
At university, Liu Xing devotes himself to research on the origins of the universe for the eminent and charming Professor Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn). He rises quickly to the top, establishing himself as the star pupil through his brilliant aptitude and hard work.
Liu Xing boasts to his family in China of his rapid academic progress, sending money home and promising them a life in America very soon. But his pride is tempered by his struggle to understand the social and political dynamics of American university life. Joanna Silver (Meryl Streep), a wealthy socialite and patron of the university, reaches out to befriend Liu Xing. A woman of great passions and a fascination for China, Joanna devotes her time to helping the Chinese students as they assimilate into American culture.
Shortly into his studies, Liu Xing fixates on the Dark Matter theory, one of the great unchartered areas of physics. Excitedly, he announces to Professor Reiser that he wants to pursue Dark Matter for his thesis. To Liu Xing’s dismay, Reiser discourages him; instead, he demands Liu Xing pursue topics that support his own research, specifically the Reiser Model. Against Reiser’s wishes, Liu Xing publishes a brilliant article on Dark Matter, but instead of finding success, he is hit with insurmountable obstacles. Soon, his dreams of a brilliant career are dashed and ultimately, destroyed. With nothing, Liu Xing lashes out at his former mentor and colleagues with tragic and devastating consequences.
A new trailer is available at Worst Previews, where an older trailer is also available, and the official site has launched. But even though it looks amazing, after watching the trailer, I’m a little worried about the reception. The Virgina Tech incident is still pretty fresh in people’s minds and, especially with the Illinois rampage earlier this month, audiences might find that it hits too close to home. It does for me, even being up here in Canada (although it might have something to do with all the bomb threats UBC received), but I’d probably still check it out if I get a chance.
