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Dark Matter (2007) More at IMDbPro »

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Dark Matter (2007) -- This is the theatrical trailer for Dark Matter, directed by Shi-Zheng Chen.
Dark Matter (2007) -- A brilliant Chinese student's controversial dissertation on the cosmos is at odds with his professor's theories

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   959 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Shi-Zheng Chen
Writer:
Billy Shebar (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dark Matter on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 April 2008 (Singapore) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
Based on actual events, a Chinese university student responds violently when his chances for a Nobel Prize are dashed by school politics. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
Clashes: Cultural, Lingual, Scientific, Emotional more

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Ye Liu ... Liu Xing

Meryl Streep ... Joanna Silver

Aidan Quinn ... Reiser
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Sina Amedson ... Selim

Erick Avari ... R.K. Gazda
Blair Brown ... Hildy

Rob Campbell ... Small
Dan Christensen ... Professor
Jeshua De Horta ... Student

Joe Grifasi ... Colby
Bill Irwin ... Herb
Krystal King ... Girl / one night stand

Boris McGiver ... Reverend Hollings

John Rothman ... Rene

Jodi Russell ... Claire
Taylor Schilling ... Jackie
Lloyd Suh ... Laurence Feng
Tisha Vaculin ... Waitress
He Yu ... Wu
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for a scene of violence, brief sexual content and language.
Runtime:
88 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Mandarin
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Orem, Utah, USA more
Company:
Saltmill more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Inspired by a true story, the film follows the life of Liu Xing, a Chinese academic studying in America who gets caught up in campus politics. more

FAQ

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful:-
Clashes: Cultural, Lingual, Scientific, Emotional, 18 April 2009
9/10
Author: gradyharp from United States

DARK MATTER is a film that will polarize audiences: for those who seek understanding of the clashes between science and 'religion' and the matrix from which tragedy grows the film will appeal, and for the audiences who demand tidy stories with happy resolutions the film will not please. Apparently 'based on true events', this story has many layers that invite discussion and reveals some facts about the American Academia that many would rather not know.

Liu Xing (Ye Liu) comes from a poor family in Beijing, but rises to hopeful heights due to his exceptional scientific intelligence and is invited to a prestigious university to study with Cosmology professor Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn), the author of the Reiser String Theory - the entire universe is tied into a compact single ball of cosmic wax. Liu Xing encounters initial success not only academically but also as a fresh young student, barely able to speak English, who is taken under the wing of the kind matron of Chinese culture, Johanna Silver (Meryl Streep). Liu Xing develops his own theory that the universe is united by massive amounts of unseen Dark Matter. When the student's theory conflicts with Reiser's theory, the negative results begin to affect each of the characters: Liu Xing sees his dream of earning a PhD in Cosmology and winning the Nobel Prize for his theory destroyed by the powers of academia and as he watches his fellow Chinese students succeed, he is plagued with low self esteem as he attempts to support his family in Beijing with money earned selling cosmetics door to door. The downfall of a simple genius destroyed by the inner workings of academia leads to unimaginable tragedy.

Billy Shebar's screenplay tinkers with the story's credibility with a heavy dose of sentimentality at times, but director Shi-Zheng Chen keeps the story moving by allowing the audience to witness frequent glimpses of Liu Xing's humble Beijing home life. The star of the film is the very talented Ye Liu, but Streep and Quinn carry their rather minor roles with great dignity and understatement. This is a moving story, too frequently repeated in our campuses to overlook. There is much more to this film than first viewings reveal. Grady Harp

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I wish this film had been boycotted! aleusong
G R E A T M O V I E!!!! raveonpragha
Techno song in movie sageonelove
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Interesting subject but failed to impress. patlightfoot
Saddest movie ever??? christoddur1
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