The film has also drawn praise for its cinematography, score, editing and Campion’s adapted screenplay. But what truly sets The Power of the Dog apart is its undeniably strong performances. No actors from Netflix’s prior frontrunners took home trophies (each received two acting nominations). Benedict Cumberbatch as the film’s anti-hero, Phil Burbank, is almost assured a nomination. He has tough competition, however, from Will Smith in King Richard. Kirsten Dunst as anguished housewife Rose and Kodi Smit-McPhee as her bookish, effeminate son Peter both have a legitimate shot at winning their categories. Acting wins can boost a Best Picture contender’s odds.
The Power of the Dog will also likely benefit from the ranked-choice voting that’s used to decide the Best Picture winner. Some critics and Oscar voters were either lukewarm or sour on Mank and The Irishman especially. The Power of the Dog has gotten very little negative feedback thus far, which means if it doesn’t occupy voters’ top spot, it might still rank second or third on a lot of ballots. In a year without a clear runaway critical or commercial hit to challenge it, that might be good enough
Ironically, the film’s most meaningful challenge might come from the movie that prevailed at last year’s Oscars. Nomadland was another neo-western written and directed by a woman. Though its story is completely different and it’s set in the present day, it’s still aesthetically similar to The Power of the Dog in that it is slow-burning and features vista after vista of beautiful, desolate landscapes. This isn’t a reason to deny Campion Oscars, but some voters might make choices with variety of genre in mind.
Despite its emotional depth and artistic achievement, The Power of the Dog is, like its source material, not exactly a feel-good story. From COVID to political strife, the world has felt like it’s been in a crisis and a funk, and come Oscar time, voters may feel like celebrating something more fun or uplifting. This year’s seen its fair share of important downers: Mass, The Humans, even Dune to an extent, and The Power of the Dog seems to have bested them in most experts’ estimation. But, the serious but more upbeat Belfast is running a close second. Steven Spielberg’s West Side Storyand Paul Thomas Anderson’s breezy, nostalgic Licorice Pizza are premiering soon, not to mention Netflix’s own star-studded Adam McKay comedy Don’t Look Up. If voters are looking for crowd-pleasers, they won’t be hard to find this December. It’d be a real twist ending if Netflix winds up finally taking home the big prize for a comedy about the end of the world.
The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix.
