Dark Matter
credits:
Director: Chen Shi-ZhengProducers: Janet Yang, Mary Salter, Andrea Miller
Writer: Billy Shebar
Cast: Liu Ye, Aidan Quinn, Meryl Streep, Blair Brown
USA 2007 | 90 mins | 35mm | English, Mandarin w/E.S.
IN PERSON (at select screenings): Chen Shi-Zheng, Janet Yang
Stark, stunning and powerful, DARK MATTER is the mesmerizing film debut from renowned New York-based Chinese opera director Chen Shi-Zheng. The year is 1993; the talented Chinese cosmology student Liu Xing (Liu Ye) arrives at mid-western Valley State University to work with his hero, Professor Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn). Leaps and bounds ahead of his peers, and with seemingly infinite ambition and drive, Liu arrives modestly, but with fame on his mind. His quest: to unravel the secrets of dark matter, that mysterious substance that governs the universe.
Liu’s life in the U.S. begins simply as he explores the remarkable freedom, both social and intellectual, that he finds. Internal flashes, however, suggest something much darker—his growing struggle balancing the tensions of his ambition, and the miscues of being an alien in a new environment. A constellation of people surround Liu, each of whom he becomes increasingly at odds with: Joanna Silver (Meryl Streep), the well-meaning socialite intent on smoothing his transition into American society; Reiser, his mentor and possible competitor, and a young American woman he woos at the coffee shop. Each interaction exacts a toll on Liu, complicating his worldview and building miscommunication, rejection and betrayal. The growing dark matter of his mind, the insatiable black hole of ambition, confusion and pride which fuels him, drives DARK MATTER to its unforgettable conclusion.
Featuring an incredible performance from Liu Ye (CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER), DARK MATTER uses real events as inspiration to explore ideas of acculturation and the ironies of “freedom.” Elegantly transposing his virtuosity of the stage to the screen, Chen displays a mastery of storytelling and dazzling visual eye. Subtle colors and textures build layers of meaning and psychological depth, culminating in a captivating portrait of a conflicted individual that brims with humanity while haunting the soul.
—Chi-hui Yang
Closing Night screening followed by:
RECEPTION & AWARDS CEREMONY | 9:30PM
Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco
Close the curtain on this year’s Festival at the Closing Night Screening and Awards Gala, held at the resplendent San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts—an appropriately grand setting for opera director Chen Shi-Zheng’s elegant feature film debut, DARK MATTER. All under one roof, walk right out from the screening and into the party, and be the first to discover who the Festival’s juried competition and Audience Award winners are! Don’t miss an unforgettable evening of live music, dancing and tasty treats.
$45 Screening & Reception
