This is not a quirky drama about a misfit boy with supernatural powers. It's a movie about a boy who is born fully Awakened, Enlightened or Self-Realized, who directly experiences the interwoven oneness of all things (he describes as much several times in the film,) and is unable to assimilate into a world full of beings who instead see themselves as separate and hostile to each other. As such he is similar to so many realized masters of the East - Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, etc. - who were always much more comfortable being alone in a contemplative state than attempting to mix with or teach others. If you watch the film from that perspective, you can see his plight poignantly portrayed, as he tries to relate to others, even teach them a thing or two, when he knows that at any moment he can overpower the whole small-town institutional system that's trying to hold him and help him be "normal." A very selfless act, as is the way he helps a gruff sheriff contact his dying wife, or the way he restarts the heart of an "enemy" schoolmate who humiliates and threatens to kill him. This was Salva's intention, to show how a fully awakened being could show us all the beauty & reality of life, if only we would allow him to mentor us, instead of the other way around. Beautifully acted by all involved. See it and let it touch you deeply.

This is a pretty touching film about a young, bald albino boy named Jeremy 'Powder' Reed (Sean Patrick Flannery) who has special powers that bewilders his community.Flannery plays Reed pretty brilliantly, generating the audience's sympathy as he deals with his special condition and deal with adversities coming from members of his community, who ridicule him for his looks and unusual abilities. The plot may not be fast-paced but it's a film that doesn't rely on the cliché Hollywood formula, instead, provides a unique story-line with a does of reality, despite its sci-fi elements. The acting was quite good, with a supporting role by Jeff Goldblum. Not a bad film overall. Grade B

I actually liked the first 20 minutes which included the hospital scene and the basement scene. I thought it had a lot of potential at the point, but instead it fizzled. When Powder has to leave the basement and venture out into the real world, he is bullied and made fun of as you would expect. I figured there were two ways the story could go. One - It could follow a path from outcast, to acceptance to hero as he uses his special powers to "save the day". Two - the bullying could turn him into a vengeful anti-hero who uses his powers to destroy the society which rejected him. Well, I was wrong. It didn't go in either of these directions. It just didn't go anywhere at all. Should be in the bottom 100.

Powder was just a baby when his mom died. While giving birth she was struck by lightning and died on the operating table. The baby survived, but the dad, seeing that the baby is albino (a lack of pigment in hair, eyes and skin tone), he becomes disgusted and leaves the baby with its grandparents. Powder grows up isolated from most human contact; his world is in the classic novels he's memorized over the years. Soon he is found and sent away as a teen to a school for boys. They think he is weird because of his appearance and they constantly make fun of him and bully him. However, he shows a few people in the rural New England town that they shouldn't judge a person by appearance; he shows them the good in his powers and in himself. This film has great soundtrack, an amazing plot and a lesson anyone can carry with them their whole life: don't judge a person by race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or morals; judge them based on their actions. The ending of the film was absolutely breathtaking, a beautiful scene. I hope Powder s left alone and never remade with CGI, because its a classic that will be loved among viewers for a long time.