This film is absolutely beautiful. It's highly intelligent, and hugely emotional. The story centres around Powder, a 17 year old boy with alabaster skin, red eyes and childlike innocence. He's also human electrolysis and evolved way beyond our comprehension.
The film is filled with angry people who vent their self-loathing and psychological malaise on Powder - but these people only serve to highlight the warmth and loveliness of three adults who take Powder under their wings, primarily Jeff Goldblum, who is a revelation.
An air of tragedy follows Powder around like a shadow, and Mary Steenburgen's character says it best with: "I don't know if there's a place in this world for someone as beautiful as you..."
There are scenes in Powder that will make you desperately sad, and you may question your own reactions to people, but it's an incredible film. In terms of emotional impact, and general plot-line (in a very round about sort of way), it's vaguely similar to The Green Mile. The final scene is so powerful, it straddles the line between uplifting and heart-breaking and it's hard to know which way to fall.
How much you get from this film really depends on how comfortable you are with psychological and emotional depth, but there's no denying its power and ability to provoke introspection and thought.