The Power of the Dog (Sydney Moonlight Cinema)

The Best Director race is Jane Campion’s to lose. Although this film was a Netflix release, it really should be watched on a big screen. The cinematography by Ari Wegner was breathtakingly beautiful with stunning New Zealand representing Montana. However, it was Campion’s storytelling that elevated this film to greatness.

The film was essentially a three-handed character drama led by a stellar Benedict Cumberbatch and supported by strong performances from Kirsten Dunst and Kodie Smit-McPhee. Campion’s direction was as assured as it had always been. There was nary any fats through the 2 hours run time with Campion taking a nuanced and thoughtful approach in exploring the inner lives and complexities of these three characters. Every scene and moment served a purpose either as foreshadow or as a voyeuristic dive into the characters’ thoughts.

Cumberbatch gave a powerful performance, intense and fragile at the same time. He gave a highly complex character who could have easily been construed simply as a hypocritical villain such depth and nuance that it was almost natural for us to end up feeling sympathy for him in the end. A sympathy that was laced with empathy, shame and regret.

Dunst also gave one of the best performance of her career. Her character’s evolution was a slow and purposeful development with small, particular changes at each moment - the facial expressions, the body language, the costuming and hair, etc - and Dunst was captivating throughout.

However, the breakout star would be Smit-McPhee. With this role, he had truly proven that he is a young leading man in waiting. In someone’s else hand, his character could easily have been a caricature or a stereotype, but Campion and he have crafted a character that was complicated and complex in his apparent simplicity.

Campion’s partnership with Wegner yielded gorgeous and poetic screen imageries that helped tell the story and set the mood. Coupled with another haunting score by Jonny Greenwood, this film was a feast for the senses.

This film will surely sweep the Oscar nominations and is a sure frontrunner for the Big Three - Picture, Director and Actor.