Powder

I know Victor Silva primarily as a horror director, but apparently he also branched out a bit to different genres. Powder is a rather odd mix of drama and fantasy, an ugly duckling story with minor fantasy elements that slowly take over the film. I can't say it was a big success, but at least it was somewhat interesting.

One day, an adolescent boy is found in the basement, with his father lying dead elsewhere in the house. It's clear the boy has never seen the light of day. A caretaker takes him under her wings, but the people in town down really like the odd-looking boy. When he turns out to have special powers, it just makes things worse for him.

The premise is neat and Flanery's performance is on point. The drama is vintage Hollywood though. Quite cheesy, with dumb bad guys, predictable hurdles and a downright kitsch ending. The film keeps on alternating the good with the bad, so it never becomes a true disaster, but Silva isn't really the man for this type of thing.