Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog at Venice 78

Jane Campion returns to narrative cinema after a decade with The Power of the Dog, in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. The film adapts Thomas Savage's 1967 novel and marks a shift in Campion's approach to female characters, presenting a woman who does not emancipate herself. Set in 1920s Montana, the story revolves around brothers Phil and George Burbank, ranch owners, and the widow Rose and her son Peter. Phil, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is a sadistic, macho antagonist whose homophobia and psychological torture drive the plot. The arrival of Rose and Peter disrupts the brothers' equilibrium, leading to escalating provocations and conflicts. Peter, initially fragile, reveals a dual nature akin to a shapeshifter. The film explores erotic-psychological relationships, with references to Tennessee Williams, John Cassavetes, Oscar Wilde, and Brokeback Mountain. Campion focuses on Phil's character, whose arrogance and control become a perverse fascination for Peter. The narrative darkens as Rose succumbs to alcoholism and Peter pursues medicine, culminating in Phil's fatal underestimation of the boy. The open ending shows Peter watching his mother and George free to love, leaving a mocking grin.