The Power of the Dog - Sympathy For the Devil 

I really loved the scene where Rose is laying there drunk in bed, Peter sees the bottle of liquor under the pillow, and just discreetly pushes it further out of view. Doesn't judge her or throw a screaming tantrum just so the movie can have more conflict and drama. Just supports his mother. Very refreshing to see a movie with more emotional intelligence than "drama".

Anyone else get the vibe that Peter killed his father, too? I won't go so far as to describe it as Oedipal rage. I think he's just overly devoted to his mother. The camera pause on the rope when Phil and his brother stayed in the room plus Peter's statement by his father (you're too strong) is what gives me that vibe. Far from conclusive but most things are in this film.

Great analysis. I remember in the opening monologue at the oscars one of them said, "This year we saw a frightening display of how toxic masculinity turns to cruelty women and children." I know it was setting up a Mitch McConnell joke but if you were given one sentence to explain the film and you chose that, you put no effort into actually understanding the movie. It would be like saying, "There Will Be Blood shows how bad rich people are." If you didn't, in some part, sympathize with Phil, I question your morality just as much as his.

Great analysis! I love that the movie foreshadows and lays out exactly what's going to happen, and yet the realization when it all clicks into place at the end made me shudder. Campion is brilliant as ever!

A subtle, slow-burn, beautifully shot character piece with drama-thriller underpinnings, a bold period piece with a damaged man damaging those around him until he meets his match in an " opposite " to this damaged mans posturing machismo, the gentle and protective Peter will defend his Mom Rose at any cost..the *David and Goliath* conflict duel can only end one way, brilliant acting and a meaningful and affecting experience. This film could have been longer with Phil spending more time tormenting Rose which would have been more satisfying when Phil got his final comuppance.

Ok so I read the novel this film is based on and ended up reading the Afterward - SO glad I did - the author had a sadistic uncle who lived with him, his sister and widowed mother. He would actually play banjo better when she tried to practice piano and was abusive constantly. Then, during a storm, uncle went to fix a fence post. He had a cut on his hand. The author said he’d always wished he could have stood up to him while he was alive. So he wrote the story. And in that way, readers for years can witness the boy doling out justice, over and over, for eternity.

Thanks for clarifying everthing I was feeling and thinking about this masterpiece. Loved the review (almost) as much as the movie!

Top notch analysis here, just watched this a couple of days ago and this is making me want to watch it again because I'm sure there is a bunch of stuff I missed the first time round

Very well written, researched, and edited video essay!

Great video, I was iffy after seeing it for the first time but this made me appreciate the movie a lot more

I watched this last night, thought it was... special, but good. But at the end of it I didn't really know exactly why it was good, or what I was supposed to take out of it. Only NOW do I realize the boy had him killed. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention, as that rather important detail flew right past my head.

loved this video. keep grinding. you’re amazing

Jesus christ, this channel is incredible. Thank you for your talents sir

Hi there, You commented on a post of mine about this film on Twitter this afternoon and linked this essay, but given that platform's character limit I'm going to respond here instead. As someone who is a big fan of Jane Campion's odd films about odd, unlikable people but who is not a fan of this particular one, I really appreciated hearing about your personal experience with this film. Your comments regarding the film ultimately being about the importance of living - and by extension, loving - authentically were very compelling and very well put, but for me, that aspect rang hollow because the film presented the viewer with such intentional, obvious breadcrumbs as to the conclusions it wished us to reach about the nature of Phil's personality and behavior. Perhaps it is my age, or my personal experiences as a woman, or maybe my tendency to dissect everything I watch as I'm watching it, but to me the character of Phil was sort of like the film equivalent of a puzzle a preschooler could put together. That's not to say he isn't a fascinating and tragic character, or that Benedict Cumberbatch's performance wasn't extremely well done, but for me, everything about Phil (and the film in general) registered as a foregone conclusion and the almost total lack of candor or growth on the part of every character - apart from Rose - made for a less than compelling story. I usually love a film that asks me to sympathize with a despicable devil of a character, but I need a compelling story in order to do that - because despicable devils are extremely boring without motivation or growth. I almost always rewatch films I have this kind of response to because sometimes it really DOES take multiple viewings to appreciate something that is a total put-off on its first impression. But in the case of PotD, I don't think a rewatch is likely to happen because the thought of spending another 2.5 hours with Phil and George and Peter kind of fills me with despair. Because no matter how good the actors' performances are, those characters and the story they dwell in represent devils I'm never going to be able to sympathize with, no matter how much I may or may not understand why they are the way they are. As I said on Twitter, PotD is objectively a great film, but it's just not a film for me.

It was sad but amazing

Phil gets so upset because of the hides Rose gave away because he won't be able to finish the rope he was making for Peter. When he finished but was sick and feverish, he's only worried about giving the lasso to Peter. My heart broke for him, specially the second time I watched it

amazing videooo

Best Film? No? The Academy Awards are a joke.

Personally, I think the questions you ask are awesome, but those answers! maybe not as important as the questions.

Jordan Peterson needs to watch this film. He could learn how to be less … himself.

That's a lot of embellishments overcomplicating the message

Sorry but this movie is one dimensional and sucks regardless how much you try to analyse it.