Dark Matter

First of all, I never thought that a visit to DVDPlay booth on a whim would bring the DARK MATTER to me. I never thought I would rent such a title without any fame. But after read the short pitch lines, I learnt that this movie is about how a Chinese student couldn’t fit into American culture and finally got his American dream somehow busted. Then I guess maybe it’s just an indie film that somehow weirdly appears on the screen of DVDPlay machine. So, without much thinking, or apparently there are not many choices since I’ve kinda of exhausted those titles, I rented it.

First shock, the male lead is Liu Ye. So creepy that actually I knew Liu Ye is more of a domestic actor, but he just popped out of screen! Dark Matter. What’s that mean? Or Liu Ye somehow managed to improve his English skills so as to escalate to international stage? But wait a minute, as the reel rolling forward, for the first several chapters Liu Ye just spoke rather awkward English. Does he play dumb here? Or just a trick?

Second shock, the female lead is Meryl Streep. Wait…..am I out of my mind? Liu Ye and Meryl Streep? The Meryl Streep in Lion for Lamb(2008), with Toms Hanks? The Meryl Streep in Doubt(2009)? The Meryl Streep showed up in the latest Oscar Award Ceremony? Yeah, that’s her! The award winning actress! What the hell is she doing here? Then she’s playing this American lady who kinda of falling love with Chinese culture or even some obsessions, and she’s trying to be the sheepherder to Chinese students on her premises.

Then, here is the story. A young Chinese student (starred by Liu Ye), whose parents are just rural workers working in mine and textile mills and living around poverty line, came to U.S. and continued his study in the field of cosmology. Apparently, he was the most brilliant student in the lab under the supervision of the renowned professor. At the beginning, everything looked bright and promising and an exciting future was waiting ahead. Liu Xing, the name of the protagonist, embraced the freedom of academic reach and the rich resources of equipments, facilities and pure academic environment, soon emerged himself totally into the world of Dark Matter(a emerging theory that could explain the origin of cosmos). And soon, he started to shine. He has the confidence to conquer a Nobel Prize. But as innocent and naïve as a devoted scholar would be, his academic ambition soon was confronted by his professor who would not allow any defiance against his established stature. Since the theory that Lin Xing was formulating would override his theory, he decided to compromise and even hamstring Lin Xing’s endeavors. Liu Xing couldn’t graduate and the ring over his head was deprived by a clandestine clan, a small group of professors on the academic board. Unable to figure out a way out, Liu Xing decided to resort to gun and bullet. He shot several guys including the professor in the front of a public speaking opportunity. And he shot himself dead at last.  

It’s a tragedy. And I like the film depicted several familiar and typical scenes of international student life here in U.S. But I don’t like the story. Although the film is based on real event, the whole film demeaned the community of Chinese international student. Also the whole film makes the American Dream a cheap joke. You can see the hallmark of racist everywhere in the film. The Chinese student who decided to follow the professor blindly just for academic awards or jobs from big corporation with the professor’s reference, loyalty in exchange for material benefits is a reality for international students. It’s not a story of thriving, but a story of surviving. Yeah, after so many years since 1976 Deng Xiaoping reformation, Chinese students in U.S. are still on the fringe of American dream and only find a way to survive. Most of Chinese students with engineering major basically are cheap labors for U.S. professors. The exploitation of Chinese talents render an invisible sweat shop on the campus of U.S. universities. All right, that’s the price to pay for the realization for American dream, from the perspective of Chinese international students, that’s fair. But, the film, Dark Matter, contorts the idea and shifted it in a different angle that makes the Chinese students some despicable guys. That’s not faire.

 Anyway, it’s your turn to watch it and let me know your opinion.

Boundary

In the “Legend of Seeker”, there was a boundary separated the world apart in the middle age. The boundary was composed of magic power and in the form of amorphous energy wall which could destroy any trespasser who dared even a look at the other side of the world. And the analogy is applied to this world as well. The boundary of culture.

It’s really hard to say the boundary of culture could be of such atrocious power as to slay every creature trying to break through. But the soft side of the counter effect would almost exert such detrimental influence as to deter any further communication. So people on either side starts to surmise the life on the other side and often the judgments are based on the experience gained on the half world that the reckoning one inhabits.

And the boundary of culture most of the time takes the guise of different languages. People would imply depend on translation as the weapon to penetrate. Or at least to cast of crackle. Such innocent people knows no power of culture shocks. Since they have no knowledge of the other side, when confronting the challenge of translation, they usually resort to explaining phenomenon by making analogy to the common sense of the world they are living in. So the blindness makes them assume things on the other side should follow no exception other than their experience. If things go awry, the bigotry often would try to act as the Procruste, the notorious Greek pirate who cut legs of civilians according to the same table size.

Thus the boundary begins to resist the efforts of merging. First, the boundary will blur the far from uncovered the truth, wielding the power of misunderstanding. Like the hatreds to communism traditionally has been held by a typical western politician. During the Vietnam war, the excuse of balking communism was once widely exploited by the U.S. government to encourage American soldiers to frontline. Or let’s look at the 60s civil right movement in U.S. The denial of equal civilian rights to black people and the battle of societal equality took the form of bloody street fights, gun shots and deaths. Now there is an African American President of United States. The newly elected chieftain of different color of skin is tasting the victory of a century long grudge and rebel.

Such is the power of cultural boundary. One can not simple rely on translation to grip the essences of the other side of the world. One needs to trudge a long way and bears the extremity of suffering and lands the foot on the other side of the world. And most important of all, he can embrace the essences while absorb the energy of shocks. The he can understand the happenings and the underlying rationale, and also the causality between happenings. And most of all, he can refer back to the counterparts in his own country and let the people back home understand the difference by relating to their own experiences. Once broke through and settled a footing on the ground of the other side of the world, the boundary is about to shatter.

However, such feat is not an common achievement. That’s the purpose of taking down the Babel Tower, which God knows the power of unity and solidarity among human beings can accomplish. Thus God separates human beings by making them speak different languages and gradually evolves into isolated countries surrounded by boundaries of cultures. By the ways, God knows no human being can compete with the divine power.