Notes on…

The Power of the Dog(2021)

Dir. Directed by Jane Campion


One of the [unfortunately] rare glimpses we get of [Rose's] interiority happens when she is drunkenly reminiscing about her youth to Peter. She remembers the stars her teacher used to give her at school; on Valentine’s Day, she would get lots of cards, which proved that she was a real beauty. The objects that Rose holds onto as signs of her worth – shiny things issued from authority figures, reminders that she was once beautiful and desired – are both supremely important to her sense of self and poor foundations for an unshakeable one. Patriarchy […] pushes you to cleave to the very things that further reinscribe you as an object rather than a subject.

Rebecca Liu (Another Gaze)

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Synopsis: A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.