The Power of the Dog

Thursday night, Jack and Sharon pushed to watch The Power of the Dog on the AppleTV on Netflix. We are starting our annual odyssey to watch the potential Oscar Best Picture candidates. Golddebery.com currently has the film with the best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

The Power of the Dog is a western drama written and directed by Jane Campion. It is based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch [The Imitation Game and 1917], Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons [Judas and the Black Messiah and The Irishman], and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

The film tells the story of two brothers — one magnetic but cruel [Cumberbatch], the other gentle and quiet [Plemons] — and of a mother and son. Their arrival on the brothers’ ranch shatters an already tenuous peace.

When it was over, Sharon said "that was awful." I liked the film more than she did. Cumberbatch's performance and the cinematography are very, very good. I would be shocked in Cumberbatch isn't nominated for Best Actor, but frankly, I would be surprised if it wins the Best Picture Oscar.