Netflix’s The Power of the Dog is, according to Gold Derby, the current frontrunner for Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars, not to mention several other awards down the line. But the leader in streaming has been in this position before. Last year, Netflix had Mank. The year before, it had The Irishman. And the year before that, it had Roma. It’s practically become a tradition for a Netflix movie made by a lauded auteur to be deemed the favorite only to lose most if not all of its nominations unceremoniously. Could Jane Campion’s neo-western finally break Netflix’s unhappy streak? There are reasons to think so, but The Power of the Dog isn’t a sure thing.
The reviews for The Power of the Dog have been at least as strong if not slightly stronger than they were for those other films. Critics had plenty of respect for Roma, The Irishman and Mank, but they seem to have more passion for Campion’s work. It’s too soon to say if Netflix audiences will share that passion. All three of its prior efforts were generally less well-liked by home viewers than they were by Academy members, but if The Power of the Dog does well in terms of Netflix viewership, it’ll help its chances
