The Power Of The Dog

The Power Of The Dog

movie

R, 2021, Drama, Western

WISE
42%

WISE Score

94

Avg. Tomatometer

A brooding, slow-burn Western about toxic masculinity and psychological warfare—basically 2+ hours of emotional brutality with Oscar-worthy cinematography.

IMDb6.8
RT Critics94%
MC89
TMDB6.8
Common Sense Media
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Screenwise Verdict

Look, this is an exceptionally well-made film that won Jane Campion an Oscar for directing. It's beautiful, haunting, and psychologically complex. It's also absolutely not family viewing.

This is a slow-burn psychological thriller disguised as a Western, where the violence is mostly emotional rather than physical (though there's some of that too). Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil as a cruel, calculating bully who makes everyone around him miserable, and you spend two hours watching him torment a kind woman and her sensitive teenage son. It's deeply uncomfortable by design.

The film explores repressed sexuality, toxic masculinity, and survival in a hostile world—all worthy themes for mature discussion. But it's arthouse cinema with a capital A: slow pacing, minimal dialogue, lots of lingering shots of Montana landscapes. Most teens will check their phones within 20 minutes.

If you have a film-obsessed 17-year-old who loves psychological dramas and can handle dark content, this could be a fascinating watch-together experience with lots to discuss. For everyone else? This is a 'parents watch after kids are asleep' kind of movie. The WISE score reflects that it's quality cinema with enriching themes, but it's neither wholesome nor safe for younger viewers, and honestly most people will find it a tough sit regardless of age.

Age Fit

This is strictly for mature older teens (17+) and adults who appreciate slow, cerebral cinema. Younger viewers will be bored to tears, and the psychological cruelty is genuinely disturbing even for many adults.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
25

This is a dark psychological drama centered on intimidation, cruelty, and toxic masculinity. The protagonist Phil wages a deliberate campaign of psychological warfare against a vulnerable woman and her teenage son. Themes include bullying, emotional abuse, repressed sexuality, and manipulation. Not emotionally healthy viewing, though artistically intentional.

Imaginative
72

Jane Campion's slow-burn Western subverts genre expectations with psychological depth and visual poetry. The film rewards patient viewers with layered symbolism, hidden motivations revealed gradually, and a twist ending that reframes everything. Cinematography is striking. However, it's more cerebral than actively imaginative—viewers observe rather than participate in creative exploration.

Safe
30

Contains intense psychological cruelty, implied suicide references, animal cruelty (skinning a rabbit on screen), adult themes of repressed homosexuality, bullying of a teenager, heavy drinking, and a murder plot involving anthrax poisoning. While not graphically violent or sexually explicit, the emotional violence and dark themes make this inappropriate for younger viewers and potentially triggering.

Enriching
78

Sophisticated exploration of toxic masculinity, repressed identity, power dynamics, and the masks people wear. Offers rich material for discussions about cruelty, survival, and the costs of conforming to societal expectations in early 20th century America. Critically acclaimed filmmaking demonstrates masterful storytelling. However, its slow pace and bleak tone limit accessibility.

Parent Info
✓

Why It Might Be Great

  • Masterclass in filmmaking craft—Jane Campion's direction and the cinematography are genuinely stunning
  • Rich exploration of masculinity, identity, and power that can spark deep conversations with older teens
  • Rewards patient, analytical viewers with a twist ending that recontextualizes everything
  • Demonstrates that Westerns can be psychological thrillers, not just shoot-em-ups
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What to Watch For

  • Intense psychological cruelty—a grown man systematically torments a woman and her teenage son
  • Animal cruelty shown on screen (rabbit skinning scene)
  • Very slow pacing that will bore most viewers under 16
  • Dark themes including repressed sexuality, suicide references, and ultimately poisoning/murder
  • Heavy emotional content with no comic relief or uplifting moments

Conversation Starters

  • "Why do you think Phil acted the way he did? What was he really afraid of?"
  • "How did Peter change throughout the film? When did you realize what he was planning?"
  • "What does the movie say about what it meant to be a 'real man' in that time period?"
  • "Did the ending feel justified to you, or did it make you uncomfortable? Why?"
Stills
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