I first saw Powerless at the Borderlines Film Festival and had no idea what to expect. I've seen some outstanding independent films in my time but with a budget of just £5,000 and a cast of non-professional actors, Matt's film could have gone either way. I was in for a shock. Powerless is an alarmingly consuming movie, executed with dramatic effect through a potent mixture of fluid camera, documentary-style narrative, unfeined acting and a complex web of challenging themes and messages. Powerless follows the isolated life of the Johnson siblings, a family struggling to cope with the tragic death of their father and their new life in a remote part of Pembrokeshire. But the family face an even greater test of strength when they learn, in a chilling radio broadcast, of a horrific terrorist attack resulting in the complete loss of power to Britain. 20 miles from the nearest village and terrified to leave their home, the family must put aside their differences and work together to survive. And it doesn't end there. The story is crawling with twists and turns, like the sudden emergence of the Johnsons' older brother after his unspeakable ordeal in London, the disappearance of their friend and guardian Tom who ventured out for help, and the uncertainty about whether their mother is still alive. It's the work of a budding cinematic genius. Not only did Matt direct and produce Powerless, but co-wrote the screenplay, executed the editing and cinematography, wrote some of the films soundtrack and co-starred as Tom. When you watch the film, you wouldn't know the filming was cleverly divided between three very contrasting settings. The black and white scenes are shot in an old railway tunnel in Matt's hometown of Shifnal while the opening footage of political protests were filmed in London in just a few hours. The majority of the movie was shot in and around the cast's house in Pembrokeshire and took just three weeks to film. Powerless also stars a real family, the Wilkins', whom Matt has known since his days at Swansea University.
Review of Powerless
