Powder

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When I was a teen, I prided myself on being the first in my group to see a new film, or to see a film most other teens didn’t know about. Having older siblings, I was made aware of certain films I wouldn’t have otherwise known. One of these such films, was called “Powder”.

The idea for this film must have started with a common theme in most movies made about and for teenagers; being the outcast. The one who is different, and stands out from the crowd for a reason that’s all their own. And it’s clear from the onset that the main character of Powder as he’s been nicknamed, or Jeremy being his birth name, couldn’t be any more of an outcast. Born as an albino, or so it appears at first, he is raised in secret by his grandparents on a remote farm. When his grandparents pass away, the local Sheriff and a school teacher arrive to discover an amazing find.

Descending into the dark, damp basement of the farm house, they see shelves of books and a pale white face starting out from the shadows. The teacher Jessie, (Mary Steenburgen) offers Powder a chance to join society. But as he takes his first few steps outside the house, Powder shows he’s not just an albino, but also something of a genius. He can recall any page of any book word-for-word and has some kind of relationship to thunderstorms, and lightning. 

Upon entering school for the first time, Powder becomes the freak in a show of extremely normal people. And being a small town, every set of eyes that stares at him singles him out as the wierdo, the queer, and every other name under the sun. Trying his best to fit in, Powder isn’t sure how to socialise with other teens, as his life has been lived in books, and in a basement. He keeps to himself due to his differences, but longs for connection on any level. After the school conduct an IQ test, it’s revealed he has an IQ higher than any other human being in history, even Einstein. Another teacher, Donald, (Jeff Goldblum) offers to help Powder share his unique gifts with the world, seeing him as something of a beacon of light in a dark world. But despite his extremely high intelligence, his vast knowledge and powers of telepathy and touch, Powder just wants to go home.

He doesn’t fit into this small town life, and to him that’s his perception of the whole world. Try as hard as he may to blend in, with dark sunglasses, a hat and clothes to hide his pale skin, he just can’t be accepted by the boys in his school, the local police and the entire town, who stare and verbally bash him. Knowing he would never be accepted, Powder begins a mission to return home, whatever the cost to those who are trying to help him and even at a cost to himself. 

Powder is an unusual, one of a kind film. You may only watch it once, but I’m sure you’ll never forget it. You’d do best to watch it alone, as it’s a film that communicates with the viewer on a deeply personal and individual level. It’s not about wowing an entire audience at once, or a film that you talk about with others as it plays; rather, you immerse yourself in its emotional depth and almost hypnotic quality, connecting you with Powder, played to perfection by Sean Patrick Flanery, and feeling his sorrow and pain as he tries to find his place in the world. It will make you think about the uniqueness and greatness that lies within you, and inspire you to just be who you are, no matter how you look to others, or how they look back at you.

There are some rich themes at work in the film; about conformity, identify, fear and destiny. It asks some big questions, and tackles the answers with enthusiasm and also sensitivity. The final question it will ask you, which I won’t give away the answer to, but more or less makes you wonder “What happened to Powder at the end?” is what will occupy your mind long after the credits have rolled, and for many years to come. Watching it again recently for this series of reviews was only the second time I had done so; I first watched this in 1996 and for a whole twenty years, it stayed with me.  Discover Powder for yourself. You won’t regret it.

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