Nice try, but unfortunately, this is not going to have much appeal to people outside of an intellectual background that surpass serves the majority of the world. You'd have to really be interested in studying the dark matter inside the mind of the character played by Liu Ye who maybe brilliant but goes from sensitive and vulnerable to arrogant and aggressive. His obsession with his research while working for professor Aidan Quinn who respects his ambition but disagrees with his findings, or possibly is resentful of the competition Ye represents. He's also greatly enabled by the attention that he gets from benefactor Meryl Streep who donates a lot of money to the university where he is a graduate student. All the hard work he does ends up driving him over the top, and went all fails for him, he truly loses his mind and parallel to real life events, goes ballistic.

There are little hints that Quinn's character begins to resent the overworked that Ye does, perhaps seeing him as either competition for far too ambitious and not really thinking things through before he presents them. Either way, the young student truly can't handle constructive criticism and he shows signs of rising arrogance that turns him from a sweet promising hopeful into someone that nobody around him begins to recognize. The problem with his character is also perhaps the problem with this script, trying too hard to show us what is in the human mind and not really revealing anything but a troubled kid who need to be reined in long before he went too far.

It's a tale of sensitivity and vulnerability mixed with anger and obsession, and after a while, the character of Ye is too hard for the characters around him to handle, let alone the audience. The film becomes depressing and far too dark, perhaps a bit too metaphorical and trying too hard to be smart. The performances are fine, it's hard to root for a character whom you know is going to go to the point he does. It's admirable that a big star like Streep would do an experimental independent film like this, but her character seems too good to be true. Quinn only gives hints into what is going on in his mind as far as Ye is concerned. Jodi Russell isn't very interesting or developed as the barista whom Ye tries to romance unsuccessfully. A nice try, just like his research, but it just really doesn't work in the end.

Liu Xing is recruited from China to work as a graduate student under his hero Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn). Reiser is famous for his model of physics. Liu Xing joins a group of Chinese students who work for Reiser with little pay. They scrounge for food but Liu Xing paints a pretty picture for his hard-working parents back home. Joanna Silver (Meryl Streep) is a rich benefactor for the Chinese students. Liu Xing falls for coffee girl Jackie (Taylor Schilling) but she doesn't feel the same. He starts to push for a different model than Reiser but he's rejected. As each failure piles up, he breaks down in a volatile way.

I have two main problems with this movie. Firstly, this seems to suggest that China is a free source of third world mental labor. I don't think it works quite as well in the present day but it works better back in 1991. Second, the ending is such a different tone that it damages the movie. The movie desperately needs foreshadowing. Liu Xing needs to have a more complex personality. It's like the movie falls a cliff and there is no warning.

Inspired by actual events, director Chen Shi-Zheng's socially conscious psychological drama entitled,Dark Matter follows the journey of an ambitious Chinese scientist working towards his doctorate degree in the United States, only to be marginalized to the extent that he ultimately loses his way.It stars Liu Ye,Aidan Quinn and Meryl Streep.The screenplay was written by Billy Shebar.

All Liu Xing ever wanted was to study the origins of the universe at a Western university. Upon arriving at the school, Liu immediately rents a modest apartment with a few other Chinese students and begins flirting with the pretty American who works at the local coffee shop. Personally welcomed into Department Head Jacob Reiser's select cosmology group, Liu remains dedicated to his studies and optimistic about the future. Things continue to look up as Liu becomes close with wealthy university patron Johanna Silver after the two become acquainted at an orientation for foreigners sponsored by a local church. Eventually, Liu becomes Reiser's protégé, and makes a sizable impression at a prestigious conference attended by the pair. But attitudes start to shift when Liu's studies in dark matter come into direct conflict with his mentor's prominent theories and well-established studies. His excitement about a potential breakthrough causes him to ignore repeated warnings that he must pay his dues, and Liu's findings are eventually eclipsed by that of more studious fellow student Laurence. Determined to have his studies published, Liu goes behind Reiser's back, but he ultimately becomes the target of ire rather than accolades, with Johanna's naïve encouragement prompting him along a dangerous collision course. While Liu remains enamored with the concept of the American dream and optimistic about American science being a free market of ideas, he begins to grow dejected after his dissertation is rejected, the girl at the coffee shop blows him off, and his roommates all find lucrative jobs. Essentially left behind at the university, Liu rejects Johanna's offer for help and vows not to return home to disappointed parents. Now, as he coasts on the fumes of his unrealized dreams, the dishonored student prepares to lash out with one final act of devastating annihilation.

The movie is a thrilling examination of the origins of the universe, the dark side of cutthroat academics, and the pursuit of the American dream.Director Chen Shi-Zheng's film has a graceful energy, and three strong performances help make this serene drama and its shocking conclusion a quietly moving film.What makes it not great is the fact that the creaky plotting, inscrutable characters, and unconvincing ending make it difficult for audiences to connect with it.But despite of being imperfect, the high caliber of acting as well as these lucid moments in the earlier part of the film are strong and memorable highlights with which to leave the theater.