I wasn't a fan of "Dark Matter" when I saw it at Sundance. It had its moments, but overall, this story about a Chinese student in America whose brilliant theory about dark matter never sees the light of day because of university politics is not the least bit compelling. Nor does it even make sense. One minute, he's being asked to test his ground-breaking theory in three different ways rather than one (something he should be able to do), and the next he's going on an insane shooting rampage to avenge his overlooked genius.
What got me thinking about "Dark Matter" again was Virginia Tech. In the Q&A, director Shi-Zheng Chen claimed his film was based on a real case where a disgruntled Chinese student at an American university shot a number of people for a similar reason. And now it came out today that the Virginia Tech shooter was a "legal alien from South Korea," whose motive is still unknown or at least unreleased.
Since Virginia Tech senior Cho Seung Hui was an English major - basically the opposite of astronomy - and hailed from South Korea rather than China, the similarities between this real life shooter and the main kid in "Dark Matter" likely will never extend beyond the totally superficial. But even these surface parallels could be enough to artificially make the ending of "Dark Matter" more chilling and disturbing.
Perhaps this will help Dark Matter's chances for a theatrical release by transforming an irrelevant, unmemorable indie failure into a timely, insightful prophesy. Or, if "Dark Matter" still doesn't get distribution, the filmmakers can use the real life tragedy as an excuse to potential investors in future projects: "We were on the verge of getting distribution, but then Virginia Tech happened, and the subject matter became too upsetting to be considered for wide release."
Most likely, like so many films at Sundance, Dark Matter's sold-out opening night at one of the world's best film festivals will prove to have been the peak of its achievements.
What got me thinking about "Dark Matter" again was Virginia Tech. In the Q&A, director Shi-Zheng Chen claimed his film was based on a real case where a disgruntled Chinese student at an American university shot a number of people for a similar reason. And now it came out today that the Virginia Tech shooter was a "legal alien from South Korea," whose motive is still unknown or at least unreleased.
Since Virginia Tech senior Cho Seung Hui was an English major - basically the opposite of astronomy - and hailed from South Korea rather than China, the similarities between this real life shooter and the main kid in "Dark Matter" likely will never extend beyond the totally superficial. But even these surface parallels could be enough to artificially make the ending of "Dark Matter" more chilling and disturbing.
Perhaps this will help Dark Matter's chances for a theatrical release by transforming an irrelevant, unmemorable indie failure into a timely, insightful prophesy. Or, if "Dark Matter" still doesn't get distribution, the filmmakers can use the real life tragedy as an excuse to potential investors in future projects: "We were on the verge of getting distribution, but then Virginia Tech happened, and the subject matter became too upsetting to be considered for wide release."
Most likely, like so many films at Sundance, Dark Matter's sold-out opening night at one of the world's best film festivals will prove to have been the peak of its achievements.