Powder
Starring: Sean Patrick Flanery, Mary Steenburgen, Lance Henriksen, Jeff Goldblum
Written By: Victor Salva
Directed By: Victor Salva
Released in 1995
"Where lies the final harbor, whence we unmoor no more? In what rapt ether sails the world, of which the weariest will never weary? Where is the foundling’s father hidden? Our souls are like those orphans whose unwedded mothers die in bearing them: the secret of our paternity lies in their grave, and we must there to learn it."
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick
Powder is a allegory about an exceptional individual who changes the climate of an entire town, and a meditation on power. Jeremy "Powder" Reed's mother is hit by a bolt of lightning while carrying him, imbuing him with special mental abilities, the ability to control magnetic fields and a strong electrical field. He is born an albino, and is rejected by his father at birth. Jessie Caldwell, a psychologist played by Mary Steenburgen befriends the boy, who has been living in the cellar of his grandparent's home, hidden away from the rest of the world.
Powder's integration into society is less than smooth. He has a profound intellect, and an amazing power he can't control. Those around him don't understand him, and he doesn't understand them. During a trip to the woods, he sees a Deputy shoot a doe, who pronounces it a clean kill with minimal suffering on the animal's part. Upset and angry at the senseless death, Powder puts his hand on the animal, and grabs the deputy's arm, letting him experience the animal's death throes. This is one of several points in the movie where Powder's ability is displayed, and most of them come off as slightly hokey.
All of the stock characters are here. A showboating bully, a kind girl who serves as a potential love interest, a meditative sheriff, a self-styled mentor/Physics teacher played by Jeff Goldblum, which is a clear echo of his role of Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. Through the interactions of these characters we see the primary theme of the movie: power. Powder has it but can't control it, but in a way, the same could be said of everyone in the town.
Some of the scenes are genuinely emotionally powerful, and though parts of it come off as bad science fiction, this can be forgiven. The film is an obvious allegory to Jesus Christ, but it is done so well, it never becomes didactic.
A year later, Phenomenon was the released starring John Travolta, about a man who is transformed into a genius with supernatural powers by a bolt of lightning. The parallels between the two, combined with the timing of their release, highlight the subtle beauty of "Powder".
Like a Greek tragedy, the ending of "Powder" is inevitable, and there is a fine balance to the entire thing.