chriswhitenext This movie is much better than it is given credit for, hence my 10/10. The plot exposes a topic that is very relevant to the reality of the academia now and for post-colonialism at large (I've taught at a top world university, a magnet for global inflow and life-or-death pressure to achieve; the frequency of suicides was not at all negligible). What makes the movie memorable is it does a great job with creating a subjective story: time stops, digresses and starts again, reality alternates with symbolic images in a very compelling rhythm that drags you in and takes you apart. Reminded me somewhat of "Requiem for a dream". Ye Liu and Meryl Streep both give great performances- subtle, fluid and convincing- that substantially support and enliven the story-line. So all in all, a very good movie that I would have felt sorry to miss. (And I may have missed it, what with the bad score and reviews on various sites).

MissOceanB Dark Matter is an excellent, deep, and poignant film with a controversial yet VERY CLEAR message.To effectively describe and review this film is no easy task. Some reviews range from "it's anti-Western" and "should be boycotted" to "beautiful and touching" and the like. It is very clear to me that those former reviews were written by individuals with little capacity to understand cultural norms and the pressure to succeed whereas the latter more positive reviews were deduced by those who 'know better', for lack of a better term.Dark Matter was filmed in Vancouver BC Canada and area. There is a very large Chinese population. Moreover, as is clear in the film, there is a large population of Chinese students and immigrants that move there for a 'better quality of life'. Having lived in Vancouver and the West Coast for over 20 years (where this was filmed), Dark Matter, its story, and the conclusion came as no surprise to me. Sadly, this story demonstrates extremely well the cultural and general 'bias' that continues to permeate and perpetuate cultural divide and misunderstanding in many parts of North America, and not solely in academia. There are moments where one can't help but smile (as I found myself doing) and there are moments of clear despair, confusion and ultimately major let-down as a Chinese student strives for much-needed success but is held back for a variety of reasons. These particular reasons were obvious to me however each viewer will likely draw their own opinion and conclusion as to what happened. And what did occur in the end is not far-fetched at all but is disturbing and ultimately quite sad.Ye Liu and Meryl Streep are very strong and complex characters and it is amazing to watch the dynamic between the two, as well as the more complicated and difficult dynamic with other students and Professors. So many elements in this film are so well done that it is impossible not to be drawn in. And one can't help but feel for the main characters (I don't want to cause spoilers, so I will leave it at that).A lesson. A true story. An important film which must be seen to see Ye Liu's character unravel in a common fashion, although most similar stories/true accounts do not end so violently. As much as I enjoyed the film, it also left me quite sad; sad that so many people refuse to acknowledge a very common reality and throw out the "this film is Anti-Western!!!" comments. That is not the case however there is a cultural clash.It is difficult for me to write more about this film. Watch Dark Matter with an open mind and, although basically impossible, do not judge. I do not condone what happened, but I understand WHY.Take some time to view this film. It is important for everyone.

jotix100 Some foreign students coming to American universities don't adapt easily to the environment they find, however nice the professors and mentors are to them. No matter how brilliant they are, there seems to be a sort of wall between their higher goals and the reality of the culture they find in a land that, for all practical purposes might be the moon, as far as they are concerned.This is a story based on an actual incident at the University of Iowa in 1991. Not remembering the actual incident, watching the film we are taken to a sort of situation that probably parallels the original tale in which a Chinese student's relationship with a professor is examined. The casualness of Jacob Reiser's approach to science clashes with his protégé Liu Xing in ways that will end in tragic results. Liu Xing dreams about a possibility of winning a Nobel prize as he begins to question his mentor in aspects concerning the cosmology matters.The film, directed by Chen Shi-Zeng, who is well known for his direction of operas that have played in America, is a beautiful piece of film making. The trouble though is one's own detachment from the lofty subject at the center of the piece. The picture will be appreciated much more by people in this particular field. The main asset is the magnificent music in the background by the Beijing Angelic Choir in the interpretation of classics such as "Ode to Joy", "Beautiful Dreamer" and Schubert's "Serenade" that blend well within the content of the piece.As far as the performances, Ye Lui, a Chinese actor makes a case for his Liu Xing. Meryl Streep, who appears as Joanna Silver, a sort of unofficial counselor to the Chinese student population, has no other explanation of being in the film because of her name, more than what she is asked to do. Aidan Quinn is good as Professor Reiser.

Iesius I'm a programmer, have been for years. One of the first things you learn in programing is that using single precision numbers is generally frowned upon.If the main character had read the first fifteen pages of virtually any book on programming, he would have known this as well. Also, with use of "find/replace all" one could make the changes in code relatively simply and be on their way to a PHD. Generally this would involve changing the word "single" to "double" and, perhaps a few storage bit lengths.Therefore I cannot relate to the main character's motivation or this story.