Based loosely upon the tragic shooting spree at the University of Iowa on November 1, 1991, Dark Matter explores a number of intriguing (as well as hot button) issues ranging from scientific rivalry, the exploitation of foreign students, the theories of dark matter, and the pressures on immigrants to excel. Premiering at Sundance 2007 to rave reviews and co-starring screen legend Meryl Streep, one might wonder, even aloud, how a film like this slipped through the cracks. But as you look closer you begin to see that the film has a number of problems ranging from the tone of the piece to the way it handles very delicate material.

The film's chief hurdle is the adaptation of its source material. The character of Liu Xing (based upon shooter Gang Lu) is an incredibly sweet, likable guy. He's hard-working, brilliant, and wants nothing more than his own version of the American dream: a career in science, a well-paying job, a blond-haired blue-eyed American wife, and a shot at the Nobel prize. But when his thesis adviser (Aidan Quinn) seems to be stifling Liu's discoveries (because they fly in the face of his own theories and attempts at the Nobel) Liu becomes frustrated and tries to further his research despite his adviser's attempts to thwart him. Tonally, the first hour of the film feels more like a feel-good underdog story -- a poor immigrant gets his shot to work for a prestigious professor and must fight against all odds to be recognized while going against the grain -- but that's not what this film is. Rather than taking a sharp turn toward the nightmarish descent into the madness that grips people who commit the kinds of crimes Lu did, the film grinds to a halt and presents a third act permeated with listless depression and seems to be thrashing against its own restlessness. It desperately wants to be a profound spiral down, but instead just comes across as sad and boring.

When the climax finally kicks in and the brutal, horrifying ending begins to unfold, it does so in a way that isn't completely earned. Compounding this is the fact the the film seems to go to great lengths to blame several of the victims as well as the system for Liu's final acts, creating a complete emotional disconnect from the horror of the story. Liu never shows any signs of being irrational or coming unglued. Nor is it an unplanned bout of insanity -- the event is well planned and orchestrated, making you wonder where all this came from. The end result is a climax that removes you from the film entirely and might completely surprise those unfamiliar with the story -- but not in a good way. And that's sad, because the source material is so raw and timely and the performances here are quite good. In fact, the first hour made for very compelling watching. You root for Liu, you want to see him overcome the academic trap he's found himself in. And were this a film like October Sky, the tone, story, and performances would feel most apt. But that's not where this film goes, and as a result nothing the film seems to be setting up ever pays off.

Released briefly on two screens, Dark Matter ultimately ends its life unceremoniously dumped on a DVD with zero special features. Comically enough, this is one of those rare DVDs with a special features section that has a nice little cut scene between the main page and the special features page, only to land you on a page offering one special feature: Spanish Subtitles.

Dark Matter is available now from Screen Media Films.

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