Dark Matter

The Gist: A brilliant Chinese cosmology student, at an American university for his doctorate, is certain his work on dark matter will lead to a Nobel Prize. His dreams are crushed when his professor turns down his work in favor of another student's, who is more willing to play along with school politics.

One of Meryl Streep's lesser known roles, and to be honest she plays a really small role. So does Aidan Quinn, whom I had not seen in years...

The movie really belongs to Ye Liu, who does a great job of portraying the inner turmoil and emotional rollercoaster his character goes through when he realizes his dreams won't come true.

The Bottom Line: I found out only afterwards that Dark Matter is based on actual events, which always makes me reconsider my final grade (usually higher). Indeed, the story is very current, especially for America, and with such a short runtime, it might be worth your time. I do have to point out that the production values leave something to be desired and that the final product feels lacking somewhat.

Grade: 6