"Aren't these mountains of New Zealand beautiful", thought Jane Campion at some point. She must have thought this because they are ever-present in her latest film, The Power of the Dog. They are imposing, barren, and almost one with the cold, distant skies above. Yes, they are very beautiful, but this feeling quickly veins along with the rest of the film. It too offers a big promise, followed by a very modest final delivery, which is unnecessarily long and slow, hopefully not so that it tries to impose some sense of artificial depth and relevance.
The Power of the Dog is at its core a very straightforward story about suffering, pride, and hidden desires. However, the movie tells that story in a form that is laden with long, long shots of mountains and hills, all of which quickly wind up without any impact on the viewers. As Nomadland shows, it's hard to use the US landscape as a character, even with more poignant movies (but still somehow very detached ones). Something similar happens with the characters and their hermetic worldviews and emotional states. All is clear and understandable in a rational sense, but feelings have no place in those barren hills, both on-screen and with the audience. Too long, too shallow, and too self-important, that is The Power of the Dog.
The Power of the Dog is at its core a very straightforward story about suffering, pride, and hidden desires. However, the movie tells that story in a form that is laden with long, long shots of mountains and hills, all of which quickly wind up without any impact on the viewers. As Nomadland shows, it's hard to use the US landscape as a character, even with more poignant movies (but still somehow very detached ones). Something similar happens with the characters and their hermetic worldviews and emotional states. All is clear and understandable in a rational sense, but feelings have no place in those barren hills, both on-screen and with the audience. Too long, too shallow, and too self-important, that is The Power of the Dog.
