Review of The Power of One (1992) by Carlos I — 27 Jun 2016

I enjoyed this movie since first seeing it in my teens.. I didn't understand it at first it took time. Now I can see it within the context of those decades having learned about the movements and the oppression.

There are words that stand out for me..words Geel Peit said to P.K. "when little beats big.. he is smart.. first with the head then with the heart". I very much wish to read the novel and I wonder if the movie follows the novel closely.

The interweaving of the story of a boy becoming a man, under care of a German pacifist who is imprisoned, his eventual romance with the daughter of the intellectual responsible for the ideas behind the laws that make apartheid, his fateful meeting with a boxer that changes his course to become a teacher to teach English to people of any tribe.

It's a great story even though I can see how it centers around a young white man whom has a myth spread about him that he is a rainmaker, a man of myth people can believe in. He could have been African from Alexandria.

We too often see the graceful roles given to whites even when it doesn't fit the story. Is this story complete in the main character or could it have been changed to be about a young black man rising to be a hero to the people of South Africa ? for all it's incompleteness and questionable moments, this film still has good spirit and that is reflected beautifully in the actors actresses, the sense of community and the surreal reflections on nature.

One character says nature has the answers.