It’s Robert Altman meets Jim Jarmusch in Roshaun Akeem Page’s Trail of Dark Matter, an anthology of character dramas that intersect as well as parallel. Broken into five chapters, this movie is aptly named as a thread of sinister undercurrent weaves its way through the various stories. Each of the dramas unfolds an individual tale of people living in a post-pandemic world. Each of the characters is a prisoner, in one sense or another, and all share the commonality of being trapped by the dark secrets they harbor.
From strangers unlocking truths to brothers exposing old family wounds, Page’s film is at its best when these seemingly pedestrian conversations drift sideways, unearthing ugly sexual perversions and proclivities alongside brash and vengeful retributions. Page’s intense and fiercely paced dialogue is the engine propelling each of the chapters to, at times, thought-provoking next to shocking conclusions, with every cast member dishing up smooth and rich performances from Kayden Bryce’s Aislinn and Krystal Katz’s Candice’s chance meeting in a laundromat, which leads into a discussion of the toils of the actor’s life and the horrific reality of the “casting couch,” to a Viola Davis class performance by Carol Browne as Imani, a woman seeking life advice from her ex-husband, in a chapter with a strong build-up that results in a unique climax.
“…dramas that unfold are individual tales of people living in a post-pandemic world…”
The film-making is simplistic, as is its staging, but each segment is crafted so well that when characters from different chapters collide, it plays as happenstance and feels in no way “staged.” These sometimes-brief crossovers enhance the drama in the moments whilst adding nice exclamation points as the links between certain characters are revealed.
As a complete set, this anthology is engrossing and topical. Dealing with isolation and its long-term effects on the human psyche is not isolation in the literal sense but more on a mental and emotional level. The characters that inhabit the director’s scenarios suffer in different states of self-confinement, each a prisoner of their own trauma-bonding and ill-conceived mindsets. These are the real chains of their depression and oppression, preventing the much-needed intervention of trust coupled with empathy and understanding of how other people view each other and the world around them.
Trail of Dark Matter is a satisfying, skillfully acted, and complex think piece. It possesses some deep insights accompanying stories of bizarre evils unleashed to illustrate in total finality that the way we view ourselves and the people with whom we share this life is not always the way those we meet and whose lives we share view us. This is one of those rare films that you’ll be thinking about long after the credits roll.
"…a rare film you’ll be thinking about long after the credits roll."
