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Powder [VHS]

5 star:		(118)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

POWDER

(USA - 1995)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Digital

Every so often, a movie comes out of nowhere which touches you so deeply, on so many levels, that it stays in your heart forever. POWDER is such a movie.

The premise is deceptively simple: Following the death of his last remaining adult guardian on their isolated farm, a young albino man nicknamed 'Powder' (Sean Patrick Flanery) is taken into the custody of local authorities. But his genius IQ and ability to harness electricity - leading to spectacular displays of apparently 'magical' behavior - arouses the suspicions of frightened townsfolk, and while he's able to change some people's lives for the better (and how!), others are too consumed by hatred to accept this strange, unique outsider. Thus, the stage is set for potential tragedy...

Writer-director Victor Salva (also responsible for the superb RITES OF PASSAGE, 1998) has constructed a modern parable which works both as a simple entertainment and as a powerful meditation on the nature of Good and Evil. Episodic in structure, the narrative pitches Powder's strange appearance and gentle manner against some of the worst aspects of the human condition - bigotry, mistrust, cruelty - and though Salva makes a brave attempt to portray these shameful characteristics in various shades of grey, his script acknowledges that some people are defined by their hatred and cannot easily be changed. That said, whilst the film doesn't flinch from the rough stuff, it's ultimately a joyous celebration of the human spirit: Though evil flourishes, goodness prevails.

POWDER contains a wealth of memorable moments, but some scenes are truly outstanding, such as Powder's first appearance as a ghost-like figure hovering in the darkness of the cellar where he's been hiding since his grandfather's death; the beautiful/terrible moment in the dining hall of the reformatory when Powder realizes he's never going to be accepted by his peers, no matter how hard he tries; the emotionally devastating sequence with the wounded deer (absolutely unforgettable!); and the sheriff's (Lance Henriksen) last desperate attempt to communicate with his terminally-ill wife (a touching, wordless performance by Dannete McMann). Few other 'fantasy' films of recent years have been so deeply, profoundly moving as this.

Production values are top-notch all the way down the line: From Jerzy Zielinski's beautiful, flawless cinematography, to Jerry Goldsmith's low-key score; from Waldemar Kalinowski's unobtrusive production design, to Dennis M. Hill's expert editing - this is the work of talented craftspeople operating at the top of their game, perfectly in tune with the director's intentions. But the real magic is conjured by a superb cast: Top-billed Mary Steenburgen and Jeff Goldblum are quietly effective in virtual supporting roles, while Brandon Smith underplays the part of a bigoted deputy sheriff whose life is changed forever by his encounter with the title character. As always, Lance Henriksen (who also played the lead in Salva's earlier THE NATURE OF THE BEAST, 1994) distinguishes himself as a humane but disillusioned lawman whose convictions are thoroughly shaken by Powder's remarkable abilities. Look out, also, for terrific turns by Bradford Tatum (as the leader of the bullies who make life a misery for Powder), Missy Crider (the potential love-interest) and the always-wonderful Susan Tyrrell (the sheriff's well-meaning but narrow-minded housekepeper) in small but crucial roles.

But the heart and soul of the picture is, of course, Powder himself, played with heartbreaking sensitivity by Sean Patrick Flanery. Almost unrecognizable beneath an unusual makeup job (by industry veterans Thomas R. Burman and Bari Dreiband-Burman) which preserves much of his natural beauty whilst also emphasizing the characters' appealing otherworldliness, he plays Powder without any trace of self-pity; instead, he highlights the kindness and vulnerability of a Christ-like figure whose greatest curse is his total comprehension of the world and its inequities, and by his understanding that he'll never be a part of it (when a vicious thug whispers in his ear: "You really think you can be like us...?", you half-expect Powder to reply: "Who'd WANT to be?!"). Powder embodies many of the qualities which are largely absent from our own lives - goodness, compassion, and an appreciation of Nature in all its rich diversity - and Flanery captures those qualities with vivid grace. Of all the fine performances in this exceptional film, his is the most dignified and triumphant.

Though aimed at the widest possible audience, POWDER's theme of the persecuted loner will strike a real emotional chord with anyone who's ever found themselves on the sidelines, watching the rest of the world go by. This is a movie which speaks loudest to the outsiders amongst us, the disenfranchised and the dispossessed. It will be warmly embraced by anyone who's ever reached out to others and been rejected... anyone who's ever felt lost and afraid, or found themselves alone in the dark... anyone who's ever believed that the world has turned its back on them because of WHO and WHAT they are... anyone who's ever stood aside from the crowd and refused to relinquish their ideals in the face of overwhelming odds... POWDER is THEIR movie, their glimmer of hope. Once seen, never forgotten.

The first time I saw this movie I was really moved by it. It seemed the kind of thing I wish I had written as a story, or the kind of movie I would like to make.

After reading the reviews, most of which were negative, I almost wondered if I had seen a different movie. Yes, there were flaws. Perhaps, many, and reference to a Michael Jackson look-a-like might apply in some eyes.

However, what I saw was a view of the best and worst of humanity. Yes, it has been done before and perhaps better. But I felt it was one of the few times when science and religion were tied to a common ground.

Many laughed at this movie, especially the end and I wonder why, unless I am wrong in it's overall interpretation.

To me, what it was saying is that humanity is special in that we can know that we are part of everything around us, and all is part of us. We can most of all touch each other in powerful life giving ways. To feel each others pain, and even the pain of everything around us that lives.

To me the ending was a self-sacrifice. He was giving, in a special way, his energy, love and understanding, which was the best part of himself, to the universe and to others. He knew that he was going to be limited in living a free life. People would not ever leave him alone, and he could never be alone again, now that he had been out in society.

Some have said that the other characters in the movie were overdone. Perhaps, they were just uncomfortable at seeing parts of themselves. Having been a victim of prejudice and hatred myself, I have lived among some of these people, and some of them are as close as next door to me, and I do not see anything overdone about them at all.

Mankind can be very cruel. Killing is cruel when it is done for the pure sport of it. Unlike many others, I found that scene very powerful when the boy passes the pain of a dying animal, who is dying for no reason other than man's pleasure, on to the man who shot him.

The movie might have failed in many ways to make some of the points it tried to make. Some of the scenes were not well done, but overall it was a movie to ponder and to make us think, and a mirror for the best and worst of ourselves. The characters were all of us. I believe that we are energy and light, and goodness and darkness. But in giving to each other and loving each other, we can tap into our full humanity. That is what the movie said to me. We are capable of so much, and life, the universe and ourselves are so sacred.

Sorry folks, I agree it was not a perfect movie, but open your eyes. Neither are we, yet look at our recent around the world celebration of 2000.

We should be proud that it went without incident all over the world. We deserved it after much of the pain and torture of this past century. To me, this movie was saying that the human spirit is about peace, love, energy and light, and it is a gift we can daily give to others, but some are too closed to see it, and for some their pain is too great. We need to reach out to others, loving them and ourselves more.

This movie was about loving. Not perfect, but then neither are we.

Victor Salva's POWDER fuses science with religion perhaps even better than Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, because it goes to the heart of what life may be all about - that every living thing is actually an indestructible bundle of living energy, a belief held by Albert Einstein.

As Jeff Goldblum's character in the movie eloquently says to Sean Patrick Flanery's, the movie's title character a/k/a Jeremy, this was also the basis for Einstein's belief in life after death. Goldblum's monologue goes on to suggest that the almost perfect human - possibly represented by "Powder" (Jeremy) himself - would evolve through eons of love, understanding, and the 100% use of his or her brain (as opposed to the apparently less than 10% most of us are using now) to the point that he or she would no longer require the human body and would literally become the purest form of that human energy - as "Conversations with God" author Neale Donald Walsch might call it, a living flame finally prepared to interact lovingly with other living flames (not to mention God) without fear.

Goldblum further quotes Einstein later in the movie even more poignantly: "It has become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity." However, with its heartfelt direction by Victor Salva, superb acting by Goldblum, Flanery, Mary Steenburgen and Lance Henriksen, other-worldly photography by Jerry Zielinski, and J.S. Bach-level score by the late great Jerry Goldsmith, POWDER is proof positive that sometimes our humanity DOES surpass our technology, even in Hollywood.

This is one of those extremely unique and deeply emotional movies that I have to call a masterpiece. 'Powder' is a special boy in many ways, but even his own father was afraid of him. After his pregnant mother is struck by lightning, Powder is born an albino with a strange electrical current in his system that makes him a target for lightning, and ridicule from people who don't understand him.
There's an unforgettable scene after a hunter shoots a deer. This movie left its mark on my heart. A 'must watch'.
Chrissy K. McVay - Author

I saw this movie years ago and thought it was okay. . . but not particularly spectacular. I saw it again on cable a couple of weeks ago and was moved to tears. The movie speaks of things I have learned for myself over the last couple of years . . . we are all connected, respect for all forms of life . . . and drove it home. Some of the reviews I read focused on the part in the movie where Powder is watching the guy in the bathroom but I'd guess those folks had their own issues with sexuality. If you pay closer attention to what is transpiring in that scene you will realize Powder is not admiring the guys body, he's admiring his HAIR! Watch the movie again and you will see what I'm talking about. Anyway, those who don't enjoy this movie aren't quite ready for what it has to say. Give it time, you'll get there.

I saw this movie when it first came out and my husband and I absolutely loved it. It was one of those movies where you felt like your life had been changed when you walk out of the movie theater. I've thought about it a couple times over the years, but figured I would probably never see it again. Well it happened to be on a movie channel tonight and I watched it again. It still had the same effect on me and my kids were really interested in it. Unfortunatley, I turned it on 35 minutes after it had started and the kids still had homework to do and showers to take. So I decided to check here to see if they sell it. They do and I bought it immediately! It is one movie I will LOVE to share with my kids. It is such a powerful movie with a powerful message that is still relevent today. I think it has a great message about how we treat people that are different. My kids are in high school and I think that this is something that will change the way they view people that may not have the same things (i.e. looks, advantages, etc. ) that they do.

Although this movie earned mixed reviews, and forever seems doomed to mediocrity(like all good art), Powder is one of those movies that is completely unforgettable. After you watch the movie, you will ruminate over it for days. It is that powerful.

Powder is our hero, a teenager who is misunderstood and unloved, even by his own family. When he emerges into our world from his grandparents' basement, he cannot even comprehend how cruel people can be every day.

Some films have various layers you have to get underneath before they go to your heart, like Forrest Gump. Powder is a film that will go straight to your heart, and will not leave.

The setting in which the movie takes place is rural middle America, but seems like another world. The entire movie is akin to a dream. It will probably wont make you cry when you see it, but rather when you have time to fully digest what you have just watched.

The best part about this movie is it provides deep emotion without being visually disturbing or graphic. It keeps a very respectable PG-13 rating. You can even feel sorry for the antagonists in the film, and soon you start to empathize with Powder. You could call it a teen Forrest Gump, although Powder's character is less real, but more beautiful than Forrest.

I highly recommend this movie. I have talked to ruffian-type teenagers who saw this movie and they despised it. This is because they saw themselves in the antagonists so vividly, that it deeply disturbed them. I liked that. This movie is 10 stars, all the way. Watch it, think about it, treasure it.

Many individuals feel like outcasts in this world--as if they're somehow "different" from the rest of humanity.

The central character of this movie is defintely an outcast. Called "Powder" because of his snow-white skin, this teenager was kept in his grandparent's basement his entire life. He is brought into the school system where kids ridicule, abuse, misunderstand, and even fear him. His science teacher (played by Jeff Goldblum) and the schoolmaster (played by Mary Steenburgen) discover that Powder can control electricity--and has profound wisdom and empathetic insight.

Powder is peaceful, tragic Christ-figure who is persecuted for being different and, perhaps, for being prophetic and "otherworldly" as well.

The ending is powerful and satisfying, especially given the gut-wrenching treatment that Powder endures. Some fascinating mystical themes in this movie include the transformation from the physical into pure spirit, the evolution of man, the capacity of Spirit, the power of love, and the archetypal metaphor of feeling "not of this world."

What would happen if a being with an I.Q. off the measuring scale ,and near god-like powers, were born in rural Texas? Why, he would automatically be labeled as a freak, defective, retardate, and deviant, of course!

That's the message of this message film, namely, that all you have to do to be denigrated and dehumanized in most of American society is to be "different." Whether that difference makes you fundamentally superior or inferior to the norm is irrelevant- all that matters is the fact that one is different. If you don't "smell right" to the dominant ape-like personalities in charge, then you must be rejected and driven out. I wish that I could say that the hateful characters in this film came across as cartoonish, but the fact is that they do not- they are perfect examples of the American norm. Even the more intelligent and sympathetic characters, such as Mary Steenburgen's character, participate in the dehumanization by mindlessly following the rules like good "professionals." So, what you have here are the two extremes of human evolution, the god-like man, and the ape-like majority.

While it is the writing and message that stands out in this film, the special effects and the quality of dramatic acting are also far above the average. There are scenes here that you never forget: the father's rejection in the hospital, the "friends don't" scene in the councilor's office, the wedding ring scene, the dying deer scene.... Any one of them would have made a film memorable, but all together they make this a classic.

The film isn't all together depressing by any means. It is about hope. It shows what man may yet become, by contrasting the ideal with the all-too-prevalent current state of the species. As Jeff Goldblum states at the end, "I see you and I think that one day our humanity may one day surpass our technology."

I've found that there are few neutral opinions on this movie- people tend to either love it or hate it. The people that hate it seem to have a problem with the basic humanity and honesty of the character- they want to attack him too. Watch it with a friend- it will tell you if that person is worth keeping as a friend....

This is a movie about an extraordinary individual Jeremy, whose nickname is Powder, due to being an albino. Just before his birth, his mother was hit by lightening, resulting in an incredibly heightened ability to 'play' with and use electrical fields.

As a teenager Powder's grandfather dies of natural causes, leaving him alone with the legal system. Because he's different he automatically attracts attention of the bad kind, which leads to some amazing and spectacular displays of what you can do with electricity, a Jacob's Ladder, and a dancing spoon.

This isn't your normal sort of movie, with "poor child with a problem turns out to be amazing, the bad guys become his friends and he gets the girl". Instead he was always amazing, he doesn't get really get the girl, the bad guys mainly stay trapped by fear, but Powder shows us the potential of the human heart and mind. It focusses on a theory of Einstein, who believed in life after death simply because energy does not disappear, it simply changes form. Powder can 'see inside' people, hear their thoughts, even those in a coma.

If you're looking for an action flick or a romance, go somewhere else. This is a thinking person's movie, despite several logical errors. It stirs the senses, opens the mind and spirit, and can give you hope for the future.