DCP at Lincoln Center (NYFF)

I had a similar response to this as I did with The Piano: first half I’m thinking, “Amazing. Showstopping. Spectacular. I’m going to tell everybody I know about this. I’m going to be this film’s new disciple.” And then, somehow, by the end I’m left with, “Oh, huh… is that it?”

I guess it is some sort of achievement that this feels like one hour instead of two, but it also seems like there were some brilliant possibilities left untapped. Just Rose and George alone easily have a miniseries-worth of material left in them. Or at least an Emigrants/New Land extended duology. Or maybe I just want Fargo season 2.5.

In contrast to The Piano (a beautiful, rambling, first-draft-feeling, miracle disaster of a movie), The Power of the Dog is a lot more assured in its direction. It’s concise, it’s got strong visual motifs—I especially like the dirt/mud contrasted against the unnaturally clean costumes and fine objects—and it benefits from a punchy revelation toward the end. I just wish it had higher aspirations. I do tend to appreciate films with restraint even more with time (like with my semi-recent Lost in Translation rewatch), so a revisit might be in order eventually.

Rating: 4/5

Edit: I should probably acknowledge the fact that I said it feels like an hour while other positive reviews are calling it a “slow burn” (and negative ones are calling it the dreaded “boring”). My conception of time is completely out of whack (as evidenced by my love of Satantango and my current sleep non-schedule), so you can ignore that remark if you’d like.