by A.J.
Best Pictures #81: 2021 (94th) Academy Awards Best Picture Nominee
"Deliver my soul from the sword. My darling from the power of the dog."
I suppose the easiest way to describe The Power of the Dog is as a western. It takes place in the American West, at a cattle ranch in Montana, there are cowboys and picturesque landscapes, but there are no gunfights or intense cattle drives. The year is 1925 and the inexorable modernity of the 20th century is creeping in and the hidden emotions of the taciturn western men are creeping out. There is a showdown of sorts, but it is so understated that even the climax of the film sneaks up on you.
Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons) are brothers who own a cattle rancher and live a quiet life. Though being quiet and shy, George proposes marriage to Rose (Kirsten Dunst) just after he meets her. She accepts and moves to the ranch along with her teenage son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Phil does not approve of Rose or her son or their being at the ranch. In the second act, while Peter is away at college and George is away on business, Rose is left alone at the ranch with Phil’s unrelenting bullying and psychological abuse. In the third and final part of the film, Peter returns from college to be confronted with his now alcoholic mother and Phil’s domineering personality. Phil seems ready to bully Peter as well but then takes him under his wing and teaches him about being a rancher. Their uneasy dynamic is the source of the film's beguiling tension.
All four of the principal cast members received Oscar nominations but the two real standout performances are from Kodi Smit-Mcphee, for what his character hides, and Benedict Cumberbatch, for what his character fails to hide. Phil becomes an unlikely mentor to Peter but there is also an underlying hostility even as the two grow closer. I don’t feel that it is giving away too much to reveal that Phil is a closeted and repressed homosexual, something he would not admit to anyone, especially himself. His treatment of the other characters is rooted in his repression. Peter’s presence has the potential to be a positive in Phil’s life, but Peter may have his own hidden intentions.
The Power of the Dog has an almost experimental structure. Its first two acts are exposition and setup and it is not until the reappearance of Peter in the final third when a plot is set in motion. Until Peter’s reappearance the story feels like it is treading water and the pacing throughout is slow but deliberate. Director Jane Campion, who also adapted the screenplay from the novel by Thomas Savage, does not telegraph the thoughts of the characters and neither do the performances. They take a low key approach of revealing the characters through their actions (a reflection of themselves). This makes for an interesting but unconventional western.
Nominees: Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, producers
Director: Jane Campion
Screenplay: Jane Campion; based on the novel by Thomas Savage
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Release Date: November 17, 2021
Production Companies: New Zealand Film Commission, BBC Film, Max Films, See-Saw Films, Bad Girl Creek, Cross City Films
Distributor: Netflix
Total Nominations: 12, including Best Picture
Win: 1) Director-Jane Campion
Other Nominations: Actor-Benedict Cumberbatch; Supporting Actor-Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee; Supporting Actress-Kirsten Dunst; Adapted Screenplay-Jane Campion; Cinematography-Ari Wegner; Editing-Peter Sciberras; Original Score-Jonny Greenwood; Production Design-Grant Major (production design), Amber Richards (set decoration); Sound-Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie, Tara Webb
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