dir. Shi-Zheng Chen
writ. Billy Shebar
feat. Ye Liu, Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn
At its best, Dark Matter is a daring and compelling film about the challenged of living in a foreign land and navigating the politics of a competitive higher education program while studying an obscure subject. And though it feels as though stars have been shoehorned into the film to give it a bigger draw, Streep's character effectively (and often humorously) illustrates a common fascination with the other, her heavy handed Orientalism giving our main character a chance in the revered university program, a classic example of someone doing good for questionable reasons.
Sadly, the film also suffers for its pedestrian approach to Streep's fascination, as well as Quinn's stereotypical star professor, not to be questioned or to suffer the consequences. Additionallyl, for some reason, the filmmakers found it desirable to add a few special effects, music video moments to enhance the frustration of our lead, cheapening the film, and tarnishing the beautiful quiet moments that could have carried the picture if not spoiled by these other mainstream lurches.
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