The Power of the Dog is a 2021 Western psychological drama film[5][6][7] written and directed by Jane Campion, based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Shot mostly across rural Otago, the film is an international co-production among New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The film deals with themes such as love, grief, resentment, jealousy and sexuality.[8] The Power of the Dog had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2021, where Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film had a limited theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand on November 11, 2021, and in the United Kingdom and in the United States on November 17; it was released to stream worldwide on Netflix on December 1. The film received acclaim from critics, who praised Campion's direction and screenplay, cinematography, the score, and performances of the cast (particularly Cumberbatch, Dunst and Smit-McPhee). It was named one of the best films of 2021 by American Film Institute, and received seven nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, as well as ten nominations at the 27th Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture.
Plot: In 1925 Montana, wealthy ranch-owning brothers Phil and George Burbank meet widow and inn owner Rose Gordon during a cattle drive. The kind-hearted George is quickly taken with Rose, while the volatile Phil, much influenced by his late mentor "Bronco" Henry, mocks Rose's son Peter for his lisp and effeminate manner. George and Rose soon marry. Rose uses George's money to send her son to college to study medicine and surgery while she moves into the Burbank ranch house. Phil takes a dislike to her, believing she married George for his money. His rough ways and taunting manner unnerve her. George organizes a dinner party with his parents and the governor so they can meet Rose and hear her play their new piano. Rose is unable to play more than a few notes of the "Radetzky March" and is further humiliated when Phil belittles her. She begins drinking alcohol, something she was previously opposed to. By the time Peter comes to stay at the ranch for the summer break, Rose has become an alcoholic. Phil and his men taunt Peter, and he sequesters himself in his room, dissecting animals and studying diseases. In a secluded clearing, Phil masturbates with Bronco Henry's handkerchief. Peter enters the clearing and finds a stash of magazines with Bronco Henry's name on them depicting nude men. He observes Phil bathing in a pond with the kerchief around his neck; Phil notices him and chases him off. Phil begins to show decency to Peter, offering to plait him a lasso from rawhide and teach him how to ride a horse. Peter heads out on his own one day and finds a dead cow, presumably dead from anthrax infection. He puts on gloves and cuts pieces of the cow's hide. On a fencing job, Peter and Phil corner and kill a rabbit, and Phil gets an open wound on his hand. Afterward, Peter tells Phil about finding the body of his alcoholic father, who had hanged himself, and cutting him down himself. Seeing how much time her son spends with Phil, Rose's alcoholism worsens. Upon learning about Phil's policy of burning the hides he does not need for himself, Rose defiantly gives them to local Native American traders who thank her with a pair of gloves. She then collapses from her rapid alcohol consumption, and George tends to her. With no hides to finish Peter's lasso, Phil is despondent and attempts to lash out at Rose before being stopped by George. Peter calms him down by offering him the hide he cut from the dead cattle, but he does not mention that the animal was diseased. Phil is touched and promises Peter they'll have a much better relationship from now on. They spend the night in the barn finishing the rope, Phil's wound and the hide mixing in water that softens the hide. Phil tells Peter how Bronco Henry saved his life by lying body-to-body with him in a bedroll during freezing weather. Phil does not answer when Peter asks if they were naked. They then share a cigarette. When Phil does not show up for breakfast the following day, George finds him sickened in bed and his wound heavily infected. A delirious Phil looks for Peter to give him the finished lasso, but George takes Phil away to the doctor before he can hand it over. George is later seen picking out a coffin while Phil's body is prepared for burial. At the funeral, the doctor tells George that Phil most likely died from anthrax, puzzling him, as Phil was always careful to avoid diseased cattle. Having not gone to the funeral, Peter opens a Book of Common Prayer to the burial rite and then reads Psalm 22:20: "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog." Later he puts his finished lasso under his bed with gloved hands. As he walks down the hall, he stops at a window and watches George and a now sober Rose return home and embrace. He turns away and smiles.

The Power of the Dog
Release poster
Directed by	Jane Campion
Screenplay by	Jane Campion
Based on	The Power of the Dogby Thomas Savage
Produced by	Emile Sherman Iain Canning Roger Frappier Jane Campion Tanya Seghatchian
Starring	Benedict Cumberbatch Kirsten Dunst Jesse Plemons Kodi Smit-McPhee Thomasin McKenzie Genevieve Lemon Keith Carradine Frances Conroy
Cinematography	Ari Wegner
Edited by	Peter Sciberras
Music by	Jonny Greenwood
Productioncompanies	New Zealand Film Commission Bad Girl Creek Max Films Brightstar See-Saw Films Cross City Films BBC Film
Distributed by	Transmission Films (Australia and New Zealand) Netflix (Worldwide)
Release date	September 2, 2021 (2021-09-02) (Venice) November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11) (Australia and New Zealand) November 17, 2021 (2021-11-17) (United Kingdom and United States)
Running time	126 minutes[1]
Countries	Australia New Zealand United Kingdom Canada[2]
Language	English
Budget	$30–39 million[3]
Box office	$237,262[4]