Powder Blue is about four strangers whose lives intertwine with each other. It all happened during Christmas Eve. Jessica Biel is Rose, a stripper whose son is in critical condition at the hospital. Eddie Redmayne is Qwerty, a mortician who found Rose’s dog that led to their torrid love affair. Ray Liotta is Jack, an ex-con who is trying to connect with his daughter. Forest Whitaker is Charlie, an ex-priest who wants to end his life.
It does remind me about The Air I Breathe but Powder Blue should not be dismissed as a wannabe. The movie is well written and directed by Timoty Linh Bui. As always, Forest Whitaker did a good job in this one. Jessica Biel and Eddie Reymayne also gave a good performance.
I was surprised to see Patrick Swayze play the role of Velvet Larry, the strip bar owner. This might be the last movie he has done before his death. You wouldn’t recognize him with all the make-up but he did provide some comic relief.
Velvet Larry (Patrick Swayze): But on Christmas Eve, I’m gonna have a lot of very lonely people out of my club. Some even thinking about killing themselves. And they come here looking for companionship. They’re looking for a little bit of love. They are looking for a little bit of hope.
Statistics say that Christmas is the time where most suicides happen. In an attempt to commit suicide, Charlie paid a transsexual hooker to kill him. But instead of shooting Charlie, the hooker killed himself. Rose learns that Jack is her father and didn’t want him back in her life. When Rose’s son was dying, Jack looked for her and it led to the death of both her father and her son. On the bright side, Qwerty and Rose got each other.
Did Powder Blue touch me? Definitely yes. Everyone who has gone through pain and suffering can relate with the theme of the movie. Yet it tells us that there’s still hope amidst all the darkness in the world. If you’re mature enough to watch Jessica Biel take it all off in a movie, then you’re mature enough to get the movie’s message.
