By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA-- Filmmaker
Jane Campion (“The Piano”) had not directed a movie since the 2009 period piece, “Bright Star,” but she makes a triumphant return to the big screen with
“The Power of the Dog,” a gritty and nuanced western that is based on
Tom Savage’s 1967 novel of the same name.
“The Power of the Dog” has absolutely nothing to do with a dog. The title is derived from a Bible verse, Psalm 22:20 which reads, “Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.”
So, whose soul needs delivering? And why? Well, that’s what drives this riveting and complex drama.
During a recent interview at the
Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Campion sat down with
N2Entertainment.net and other movie critics to discuss how “The Power of The Dog” novel inspired her to make the movie.
Click here to listen
Set in Montana--although locations throughout New Zealand stand in for the state--“The Power of the Dog” centers around two wealthy rancher brothers Phil Burbank (a terrific Benedict Cumberbatch, (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”) and George (the always fantastic Jesse Plemons, “Antlers” and “Judas and The Black Messiah”).
They are opposites. Phil is a cantankerous and tough old cowboy who has little patience or empathy for anyone including George who he refers to as “Fatso.” George is a quiet, methodical guy who initially doesn’t let Phil get under his skin.
Maybe there is a reason George always takes the high road when Phil directs such animus toward him. Does George know why Phil carries so much bitterness and anger? Is Phil hiding something?
Even so, Phil and George’s relationship becomes even more strained while at a restaurant owned by a pretty widow named Rose Gordon who is excellently played by Plemons real life significant other, Kirsten Dunst, ( TV’s “On Becoming a God in Central Florida”).
It doesn’t take long for Phil to find a new target to bully. And boy does he unload. Rose’s reticent son Peter (a fabulous Kodi Smit-McPhee, “Dolemite is my Name” and TV’s “Interrogation”) is a skinny, effeminate, and artistic kid who likes drawing and making paper flowers for the restaurant tables.
Phil can’t help but mock Peter’s lisp and his girly mannerisms. It’s an embarrassing moment and one which makes Rose cry, but George is the perfect gentleman who comforts her. George and Rose soon realize they have a lot in common. So much so, they get married and Rose is living at the big ranch with the men. Naturally, this arrangement angers Phil even more and he ratchets up his unruly behavior.
As much as Rose tries to dismiss Phil’s antics, she can’t. Seeing Peter in such a bad place along with the pressure of trying to fit into George’s world and please his family, becomes too much and she begins to drink excessively to ease her pain.
Although Phil begins to take a surprising and sudden interest in Peter when he returns from college--Phil even teaches him how to braid ropes and such--it still doesn’t keep Rose from spiraling downward into alcoholism and depression.
Just when you think “The Power of The Dog” is going to wrap up all nice and neatly, Campion’s surprise ending adds to the masterful and powerful bite of this “Dog.”
Editor’s Note: Check out the Q&A with the film's powerful cast of Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessie Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and director/screenwriter Jane Campion.
REEL MOVIE NEWS
“The Power of the Dog” is currently available on
Netflix.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
