12 years have passed since the last Jane Campion film. After releasing Bright Star (2009), fans of the Australian filmmaker have had to settle for the two (wonderful) seasons of the series Top of the Lake while adding months of waiting until the arrival of a project as longed for as The Power of the Dog, which we finally have before our eyes.
The Power of the Dog is the adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel of the same title that recounts the confrontation between two brothers, played by Benedict Cumberbartch and Jesse Plemons, wealthy Montana ranchers in 1925. Cumberbatch plays the aggressive Phil, who has no problem cruelly treating a widow (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Plemons, on the other hand, is the affable George, who will decide to marry the woman.
This infuriates Phil, who begins to develop a disturbing obsession with both her and her son, whom he welcomes as a disciple, without making it clear whether the approach is due to a change in character or has darker intentions.
On December 1, Netflix will release this dense and foggy western, whose cast is completed by Keith Carradine and Thomasin McKenzie. The cinematography is by Ari Wegner (Lady Macbeth, In Fabric) and the score is composed by Jonny Greenwood, the Radiohead member who has worked on the latest Paul Thomas Anderson films.
The Power of the Dog will be shown at the Venice, Toronto, New York and San Sebastian Film Festivals.
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