After a year of hard hitting TV, Jane Campion returns to the big screen. Well, Netflix: she compromised. But what a welcome return it is. The Power of the Dog shows why Campion is considered one of the great filmmakers, taking what seems like 60 pages of a screenplay and turning it into 2 hours of poetry on screen.
The New Zealand filmmaker takes us to Big Sky Montana, in 1925. Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) is leading his umpteenth cattle drive across the plains, as excited as he was the first time. Accompanying him is Phil’s brother George (Jesse Plemons), but more reluctantly so. At a stop at a small town, George makes the acquaintance of a widow, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Smitten, George strikes up a fast relationship with Rose, much to the chagrin of Phil, who longs for those simpler days with George being taught by Bronco Henry the tricks of horseback riding.
The screenplay for Power of the Dog must have been stage direction for 90% of the screenplay. There has to be fewer than 100 words spoken by anyone in this movie. That leaves a lot of free space for Campion to work her magic, which she does and then some. The New Zealand filmmaker makes her homeland a wonderful replica of Big Sky country, with towering vistas and gorgeous mountains that give proper context to life in Montana 1925. Campion uses that space and quiet to ease everyone into what is going on, letting what is not being said mean as much as the words people choose to say. Campion lets the small cast find new pairings every 20 minutes or so, some of which cause changes in the personality of the characters. Campion then gravitates to whatever pairings create the most interesting story, and refocuses the movie around that pairing. If you’re paying attention, Campion gives us answers in The Power of the Dog, but she doesn’t spoon feed them to you, which gives the story more potency and rewards for your attention.
Helping the talented director is an equally talented cast, some of whom do their best work. This is probably Benedict Cumberbatch’s best performance since Sherlock, and maybe ever. The talented linguist really is at his best when he’s quiet, pondering what the hell is happening to his perfect little life. In Cumberbatch’s hands, Phil is on the surface brash and angry which hides a longing and fear he’s trying to bury under the surface. Kodi Smit-McPhee is also wonderful, specifically when paired with Cumberbatch. Peter is a blank slate most of the running time; we have no idea of his intentions or feelings unless Campion provides us a little quiet insight. This enigmatic performance makes Smit-McPhee a fun wild card in the 2nd half of Power of the Dog. Our real-life/fictional couple Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are perfectly fine in smaller roles, channeling a version of their Fargo Season 2 characters.
Of course The Power of the Dog is Oscar Bait. In this case, Jane Campion’s tale is not as condescending or pushy as that phrase would entail for other films. Like Yoga, The Power of the “Downward” Dog breathes, settles in, and washes over you, deliberately and quietly, Cumberbatching you into sweet submission.