The Power of the Dog (2021, R)

*Premise spoilers.*

And we’re off to the Oscar races! This Best Picture nominee was buzzed about ahead of its release, and I like plenty of the actors in it, so I might’ve been drawn to see it regardless. But I’ll admit that my pre-nomination interest was more along the lines of “mildly-curious,” and having now seen the film, I thought it was well-made but it didn’t wow me.

For many years, Phil and George Burbank have mainly had each other. Working on their ranch together—Phil doing the rougher work and managing the other ranch hands while George handles the business side of things—they’ve cultivated something of an “us against the world” attitude, even as Phil constantly needles George. But George has begun to look for something more in his life. When he marries an overstressed widow and brings both her and her socially-awkward teenage son out to the ranch, Phil is mercilessly territorial over his right to George’s love.

We’ll start with the biggest detractor for me, which is mainly that the story kind of leaves me cold. It’s hard to get really invested in any of the characters for their own sake, which in turn makes me care less about the admittedly-gripping dynamics involved. The story is also pretty slow-moving. It might be fitting alongside the big-sky-country feel of the early 20^th century Montana setting, but this is a narrative that often happens between the lines in subtle moments. The languid pace caused my attention to wander at times, which made it tougher to catch critical moments happening in the background.

Along with that, it’s just an incredibly grim film. The story is divided mainly between loathsome characters and ineffectual characters, with few victories to root for. I came away from the film feeling kind of down, just because everything was so bleak. However, it must be said that the film does an excellent job establishing and maintaining that tone. Like I said, a lot of the plot is going on between the lines, so there aren’t a ton of big moments, but those little ones continually add to this overhanging, almost oppressive feeling of dread. This is especially evident in Phil’s treatment of George’s new wife Rose. He’s a bully, someone who fancies himself a big man but who goes immediately on the attack because he can’t bear the thought of his brother spending time with someone else, and he’s simply relentless. At every opportunity, he reminds Rose of his presence and his power over her, looming in the background of her life and never giving her a moment’s peace. Watching these scenes almost leaves you feeling sick.

On the whole, I’d say the film is very well made and everyone in the production is turning in good work to create exactly the effect they want to create. It’s just that all of that doesn’t appeal to me very much. Jane Campion’s direction is both expansive, capturing the endless feel of the wide-open plains, and claustrophobic, showing us how utterly trapped Rose feels by Phil’s tireless torments. Even though the film isn’t really my cup of tea, I do understands Campion’s nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay—for better or worse, the direction and the script accomplish exactly what she sets out to do in telling this story.

All four of the main actors earned nominations here. At the head of the pack is Benedict Cumberbatch, the only one up for a leading category, as Phil. To the extent that I’m interested in Phil as a character and not just repulsed by his behavior, I’d say it’s down to Cumberbatch’s nuanced performance. He threads a lot of little moments into the way Phil acts, speaks, and carries himself to show that, even though Phil is the aggressor, he feels like he’s the one backed into a corner. In his mind, he probably tells himself he’s just protecting what’s his. Kirsten Dunst gives an honest but frustrating performance as Rose. In situations like this, I think we’re primed to expect a David-and-Goliath underdog victory, but the narrative avoids that simpler, more satisfying conclusion. I first remember seeing Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler in the newer X-Men films, and he does a nice job as Rose’s son Peter. It’s very understated work, though, and I can’t tell if it’s just a bit too muted for me or if it would come alive more if I watch it again. Rounding out the film is Jesse Plemons (Todd from Breaking Bad) turning in a solid performance as George. If we’re going to make comparisons with Phil, George is obviously the “nice” one, but that doesn’t mean he really makes things better for Rose, either. He creates his new family without much thought about how it’s going to fit into his existing one, and he’s too passive to be very effective against Phil’s harassment.

Warnings

Violence, language, drinking/smoking, brief nudity, sexual references, disturbing images, and strong thematic elements (including harassment, references to suicide, and what looks like grooming behavior.)