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Forever Eat a Dog: "The Power of the Dog" is a creepy and discouraging film about toxic masculinity - Walla! culture

2021-11-18T22:34:08.405Z


You should see "The Power of the Dog" in theaters before it airs on Netflix Forever Eat a Dog: "The Power of the Dog" is a creepy and discouraging film about toxic masculinity Before he goes up on Netflix and before he storms the Oscars, Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" comes up in our theaters, and you can understand why it became one of the most talked about films of the year: it deals heavily but powerfully with a spoken issue, toxic masculinity and its effects


Forever Eat a Dog: "The Power of the Dog" is a creepy and discouraging film about toxic masculinity

Before he goes up on Netflix and before he storms the Oscars, Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" comes up in our theaters, and you can understand why it became one of the most talked about films of the year: it deals heavily but powerfully with a spoken issue, toxic masculinity and its effects

Avner Shavit

19/11/2021

Friday, 19 November 2021, 00:58

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Trailer for "The Power of the Dog" (Netflix)

Star rating for movies - 3 stars (Photo: image processing,.)

Non-American directors have made some of the best films about America, for example Wim Wenders' "Paris Texas," and women have been behind some of the best films made about men, such as Chloe Zhou's "The Rider." New Zealander Jane Campion is neither American nor male, and her new film "The Power of the Dog" takes place in Montana in the 1920s, and deals with toxic masculinity. Given the cinematic tradition we mentioned, it is no wonder that it is considered one of the best films of the year, and will certainly be nominated for a host of Oscars.



The film is based on the book of the same name by Thomas Swag, published in Hebrew by Kinneret Zmora Dvir, translated by Yael Achmon. By itself, the title is called a quote from a number of psalms: "Saved from a mental sword immediately a single dog." Dog lovers will not be happy to hear this, but things were based on the perception that these are cruel animals, who know how to recognize weakness, exploit it and attack it.



Such is the film's protagonist, Paul, a walking poison capsule played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

He runs a farm with his brother George, played by Jesse Flemons, another actor who has recently been seen everywhere, and here comes another biblical source of inspiration - it is clear that the two correspond with the characters of Cain and Abel. Paul is talkative, domineering and aggressive "George is quiet, pleasant and passive.



George marries a widow named Rose, played by Kirsten Dunst, and Paul despises her and her son, a gentle boy named Peter whose demeanor is subtle and too soft for the forceful farmer, who likes to illustrate how much he" Man-man ", and wants everyone to be like him. When at the beginning of the film the boy makes flowers from paper, for example, this morning mocks his" femininity ".

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flowers in the barrel.

From "The Power of the Dog" (Photo: Netflix)

Paul also likes to translate his negative thoughts into actions, and knows how to do it. Being a dog with a good sense of smell, the cruel morning recognizes the weaknesses of the victims and uses them to torture the objects of contempt. Over time, it becomes clear that this forced and strenuous masculinity may be nothing but the farmer's way of suppressing his sexual orientations. In time, it is also revealed that the boy he enjoys trampling like a sword in a flower bed, is not as innocent as he and the viewers thought, and will do whatever it takes to protect his favorite woman in the world, his mother.



"The Power of the Dog" deals with the war between the sword and the flower, and although it is clear on which side it is, it has no naive illusions. The film illustrates that it is not possible to defeat swords using flowers alone, but to use their weapons, which raises the question - is it really a victory, when we defeat the other side using his tactics?



"The Power of the Dog" was first screened at the Venice Film Festival about three months ago, and then also at the New York Film Festival, where I watched it.

Two more weeks will go by on Netflix, which produced it as part of its takeover of the world of artistic cinema, but before that it will make a tour of our cinemas starting this weekend, and that's a good thing.

If you're already seen this movie - then on the big screen.

Joins the gallery of innocent but creepy boys.

From "The Power of the Dog" (Photo: Netflix)

Although the film takes place in Montana, Campion filmed it in her New Zealand homeland. Together with photographer Ari Wagner, who has already done phenomenal work in films such as "Lady Macbeth", she brings out the best in the landscapes, whose pure beauty stands in contrast to the darkness of the human characters. When it comes to the visual side, "The Power of the Dog" aligns with the beautiful classics of Terence Malik, for example "Days in the Sky".



Campion is one of the most important directors in the history of contemporary cinema, and to this year also the only woman to have directed a Golden Palm winner film - "The Piano". "The Power of the Dog" is her first feature film after a dozen years working on television, and her directing work makes good use not only of landscapes but also close-ups of the characters' faces. The acting displays are impressive, and especially of Cumberbatch of course and of Cody Smith-McPhee, whose boy joins a respectable film gallery of boys who were equally innocent and creepy,For example, Kevin played by Ezra Miller in "We Must Talk About Kevin".



The music of Johnny Greenwood, who also excelled this year in "Spencer," contributes to the film's chilling dramatic power.

But despite all these qualities, in the end the whole here is smaller than the sum of its parts.

The film has teeth, but sometimes it is too clear what it is trying to say, and it also has excessive paperwork and artificiality, and an excess of atmospheric scenes that make it heavy and tedious.

The investment in it pays off thanks to its brilliant ending, but in the end, even if it has power, the "power of the dog" is hard to get excited about.

The overestimation he enjoys is probably related to the fact that he is dealing with the right issues at the right time.

Anti-cute dogs.

From "The Power of the Dog" (Photo: Netflix)

Not sure if "The Power of the Dog" deserves to be considered one of the best films of the year, but it is definitely an experience that has virtues and qualities, especially if consumed on the big screen, where its place.

On top of that, and fittingly for a movie called Quote of a Psalm, while it takes place in Montana, its preoccupation with toxic masculinity is very relevant to both reality and our society.

It remains only to pray that we too will be saved.

  • culture

  • Theater

  • Movie review

Tags

  • Jane Campion

  • Benedict Cumberbatch

  • Kirsten Dunst

Source: walla

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