THE POWER OF THE DOG

Part of Best Picture Marathon. Click here for the Chronological Schedule.

In addition to its Best Picture nomination, POWER OF THE DOG is nominated for Best Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design, Original Score, and Sound.

Set in Montana in the 1920s, Jane Campion’s new film is an enthralling revisionist Western awash in sublime expanses and nuance, capturing a landscape and a people driven by the fantasy and folly of westward expansion. Adapted from Thomas Savage’s cult novel of the same name, THE POWER OF THE DOG tells the story of successful rancher brothers George (Jesse Plemons) and Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) Burbank, whose relationship sours when the more mild-mannered George marries local widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst). Proving once again that she is one of today’s greatest filmmakers, Campion delivers a fascinating study of masculinity and internal torment, subverting the codes of the Western — and of the male gaze — in a universe that is always shifting in tone, rendered with stunning cinematography by Ari Wegner, a disorienting score by Jonny Greenwood, and a terrific ensemble cast.

“This is a movie as big as the open sky, but one where human emotions are still distinctly visible, as fine and sharp as a blade of grass.“ —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME