2021

The Power of the Dog (Director: Jane Campion)
Nominees: Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, Old Henry, What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? The Worst Person in the World, Spencer, Azor, Sardar Udham, Cyrano, The Innocents, Boîte noire

Oscars pick: CODA
Nominees: The Power of the Dog, Licorice Pizza, Belfast, Dune, Drive My Car, King Richard, Nightmare Alley, Don't Look Up, West Side Story

An example of the stupid, rude, and lazy comedy at this year's Oscars, was the jab directed at the Power of the Dog for being too boring to sit through. In truth, putting aside the fact that it's an artistic triumph, Campion's masterpiece was engrossing from beginning to end - the pacing was impeccable, and I was so wrapped up in the story, photography, direction, and performances, that time just fell away. Boring? Not in the least. 

A gay man and his brother, a widowed mother, and her son are at the center of this idiosyncratic tale, which upends western mythology in order to explore matters of repressed sexuality and toxic masculinity.

The apex predator in the film is rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), a cruel, coarse (petulant) son of a bitch, who'll hurt anyone he perceives as weak or a threat to his way of life (Peter and his mother, Rose). Part of this behavior comes from him just having an ugly side, part of it comes from pride and overcompensation, part of it is fueled by loneliness and jealousy. However, I don't believe it comes from a place of self-loathing - when we catch him in a private moment, he's content with who he is, and the memory of who he loved, it's only society that prevents him from being open about his sexuality.

When Phil eventually shows a softer side, it's perhaps because he sees himself in young Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) at that age, and through him, a chance to reclaim what he's lost, only with him in the role of 'Bronco Henry' (the now deceased cowboy who took Phil under his wing) - though it can seem a sudden and drastic pivot to go from mean to mentor, this does add a bit of ambiguity, as his change of heart can also be viewed as another way for Phil to stick it to the boy's mother, Rose (Kirsten Dunst at her finest) who he despises for marrying his brother.

His hateful behavior is driving Rose to self-destruction and that's where we drift into some tangled psychological webs, and the question of who's the spider and who's the fly, come into play.  

In addition, as shown in the examples above, Dog is a film of many layers, with many ways to read a scene.

Phil, for example, is possessive, he'd rather burn unused skins than trade them to those in need. And when Rose gives them away without permission, he flies into a rage, like a child having a tantrum ("They were mine!" he shouts) -- but more than that, her action prevents him from finishing the gift of the rope. His anger then is born out of extremes - hatred for Rose (who undermined his authority and embarrassed him), and affection for Peter.

As for Peter, Phil sees him as weak - unappreciative, and unaware that the young man's clinical, surgical mind is more dangerous than a bullet. For Peter, Phil is a tumor he needs to cut away in order to save his mother's life... though, even here there are layers - in an interview, Campion spoke of the ending and how Phil would, in turn, become Peter’s own Bronco Henry, with the rope representing their connection, and the secret between them - for a gay man at that time, she explained, it was easier to love a ghost than a real person.

My Top Films of 2021

🎬 In closing: Worst Oscar ever, for the cringey comedy, for the disrespect shown to animated features, for that sappy, anodyne movie winning the top prize over elevated works like PotD and Drive My Car - but most especially for the disturbing 'assault' (from a self-proclaimed vessel of love), followed by the standing O he later received (shameful). Though there were positives (DeBose's speech, Gaga's sensitivity, and patience with Liza) it was, in general, an unpleasant nights viewing - the fix, show-wise? The ceremony desperately needs a touch of class (see Gaga), they need to love and respect great cinema - drop the crass humor, the insulting introductions (see animated features) and allow all the awards to be given on the main stage. 

Best Actor: Peter Dinklage, Cyrano
Honorable Mentions: 
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog * Tim Blake Nelson, Old Henry * Lakeith Stanfield & Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah * Denzel Washington, Tragedy of Macbeth * Clifton Collins Jr., Jockey * Mahershala Ali, Swan Song * Simon Rex, Red Rocket * Vicky Kaushal, Sardar Udham * Stephen Graham, Boiling Point 

 

Best Actress: Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Honorable Mentions:
Patti Harrison, Together Together * Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter * Kristen Stewart, Spencer * Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World * Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers * Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza * Milana Aguzarova, Unclenching the Fists * Jodie Comer, Last Duel * Babetida Sadjo, Our Father, The Devil * Thomasin McKenzie, Last Night in Soho 

Supporting Actress: Ruth Negga, Passing

Also: Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter & Kirsten Dunst, PotD

Supporting Actor: Anders Danielsen Lie, Worst Person in the World

Also liked: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

 




So many actresses, I didn't have room to nominate them all, but here are a few others I admired... Emma Stone, Cruella, Essie Davis & Thomasin McKenzie in The Justice of Bunny King, Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah, Seidi Haarla, Compartment No. 6, Joanna Scanlan, After Love, Jessica Barden, Holler, Lady Gaga, House of Gucci, Judi Dench, Belfast, Arawinda Kirana, Yuni, Alexis Louder, Copshop, and Rebecca Hall, The Night House

+ Note: Our Father, The Devil only had a limited release in the States in 2023, it played in festivals in 2021 and throughout 2022 - so I'm just going to place it in 2021, for the Best Actress nom.

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