The Power of the Dog

Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog is an unrelentingly sad film, deliberately slow paced, and fueled by the raw emotions of its characters.  The main source of this is Benedict Cumberbatch, playing a macho cowboy/rancher who plays psychological games on his brother (whom he routinely refers to as "fatso"), his brother's wife (whom he belittles to the point that she turns to alcoholism), and to the wife's son, who is initially an easy target for him, given his effeminate tendencies, but gradually builds a guarded relationship with.  

Adapted from the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, the film is a complex study of Cumberbatch's character, as well as the effect he has on those around him.  His character, Phil Burbank, is introduced to us as a man who values everything that is stereotypical male, and looks down upon anything and anyone else who may not fall under his ideal view of what a man, or even a person, should be.  We can sense that he enjoys the discomfort that he often gives others with his views and the words that he uses to insult or label others.  He's not the sort who is set in his ways, and doesn't realize that those ways offend others.  He is well aware of that fact, and relishes in it.  Cumberbatch seems to be relishing the character as well, and gives a broad yet complex portrayal that is one of the best performances of the past year.  He knows just how to push the boundaries of his performance without going too over the top.

The story itself is set in 1925 Montana (though filmed in New Zealand), giving the film a unique look in settings that kind of look forgotten and not as modern as the time period suggests.  We meet Phil and his brother, George (Jesse Plemons, capping off an amazing year of a wide variety of film performances), who are both ranchers.  Phil idolizes his his former mentor, Bronco Henry, and seems to set his life and beliefs around that man's teachings.  As for George, he is quiet, overweight, and doesn't seem quite as into the rugged frontier life as his brother.  He wants to settle down and maybe have a family of his own.  He has a fateful encounter with the widowed Rose Gorden (Kirsten Dunst), which quickly grows into a relationship, and begins the psychological games that Phil starts to play on the budding love the two have.

Rose has a son in medical school named Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who likes to hide himself in his room making paper flowers for his mom's table, and dissects animals to help learn about biology for his studies.  This immediately catches Phil's attention, and he immediately starts targeting the young man's odd behavior, openly and cruelly mocking him at every opportunity.  He is also not approving of the union between his brother and the woman he loves, believing that she is only after his money.  As the film's narrative slowly unwinds, we begin to realize that Phil might have some secrets of his own behind his rugged manly exterior.  A begrudging friendship is formed between the two men, as Rose herself slowly slips into depression and alcoholism from Phil's taunting.

The Power of the Dog is intentionally slow burning, which may turn some audiences off, but the lead performance from Cumberbatch was able to hold my attention throughout.  The other performances don't get to show off as much as he does, but they are equally strong, especially Dunst as Rose, who doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of her son getting close to this man.  This is a character study film that is no rush to get to where it's going.  We're supposed to be drawn in by the atmosphere the film creates of a bygone age, and by the complex lead performance.  The film is also made up of smaller moments that hit home, such as when Phil's mind games with Rose prevent her from playing the piano in front of a group of guests who visit her home.  The movie is not so much a narrative journey, as it is a look at how one man's beliefs and behaviors effects everyone around them.

This is what makes the film rewarding in the end.  It paints Phil as a hateful, yet complex, man.  It's an unsettling piece set in a unique time period that we don't see often in the movies.  And while the movie itself might be a bit too slow to have the power that is intended, the performances and the characters at the center of it are unforgettable. 

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