Dark Matter
Opens Friday at the Lumiere.
Inspired by" the 1991 University of Iowa school shootings, Dark Matter gives a sympathetic picture of its doctoral candidate turned sociopath, Liu Xing (Ye Liu). Maladjusting to cultural amputation, the international student's letters home become increasingly Travis Bickle–like in their remove from reality. The China he has left behind is drear, but at least it's a comprehensible, straightforward wasteland — unlike the mirage of America, where we see freedom and opportunity extolled, but toadying and conformity rewarded. First-time filmmaker Shi-Zheng Chen shows little aptitude for accurately transcribing the textures of human interaction; there isn't a single credible performance here, not excluding Meryl Streep as a faculty Sinophile, doing that thing where she grinds every line through a gauntlet of tremulous inflections. More surprising, considering Chen's pedigree in opera directing, are his conspicuously inept mad scenes: Liu Xing's final snap is dramatized in a disco-strobed student lounge. So what pushes him over the edge? That he can't get laid? Indigestion from mixing wuxia with cowboy culture (the film implicitly perpetuates the think-piece insipidity that American gun violence has more to do with Zane Gray than lax handgun laws)? Who knows? Despite overtures toward evenhandedness, Dark Matter's insights go no deeper than "chickens coming home to roost" banality.
Now Showing
Find capsule reviews, showtimes & tickets for all films in town.
Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, film info & more!
Now Trending
Movie Trailers
-
Voice Places
Find everything you're looking for in your city
-
Happy Hour App
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
-
Daily Deals
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
-
Best Of...
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
- Profile
- Newsletters
- Mobile
- Logout
