The Power of the Dog (2021)

Directed by

Jane Campion

Genre

drama film, Western film, psychological drama film

Country

New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Greece

Runtime

2h 06m

Rated

R

Rating

6.7 of 10 from 2,980 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1920s Montana, a cruel rancher torments his brother's new wife and her sensitive son. Tensions build as the family dynamics shift in unexpected ways.

tensebroodingslow-burnpsychologically intenseatmosphericmelancholicunsettlingvisually austere

What happens

The Power of the Dog is a 2021 Western psychological drama film written, co-produced and directed by Jane Campion. It is based on Thomas Savage's 1967 novel. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Set in Montana in 1925 and filmed mostly in rural areas in New Zealand’s Otago Region, the film is an international co-production between New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The Power of the Dog premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2021, where Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film had a limited theatrical release in November 2021, and was released to stream worldwide on Netflix on 1 December 2021. The Power of the Dog was acclaimed by critics, who praised Campion's direction and screenplay, and the cinematography, score, and four lead performances. It was widely regarded as one of the best films of 2021, appearing on many top-ten lists, and received many accolades, including a leading 12 nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, among them Best Picture, Best Actor for Cumberbatch, Best Supporting Actor for both Plemons and Smit-McPhee, and Best Supporting Actress for Dunst. Campion won Best Director, making the film the first to win only in that category since The Graduate (1967); its 11 losses tied the record for most in Oscars history, until it was surpassed by Sinners, with 12 losses. It was named one of the best films of 2021 by the American Film Institute, and received seven nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Smit-McPhee, and Best Director. It received ten nominations at the 27th Critics' Choice Awards, winning four, including Best Picture, and received eight nominations at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, winning Best Direction and Best Film. It has since been cited as among the best films of the 2020s and of the 21st century. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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