The Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, a successful yet bitter rancher whose brother George (Jesse Plemons) brings home his new wife Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-Mhee).
Instead of shootouts and tough-talking, The Power of the Dog relies on tension and intimate discomfort as it builds to its shocking ending. The unexpected relationship that grows between Phil and Peter is at the center of the climax only to go in another unexpected direction by the conclusion of the story. The ending is rather grim and doesn't go in the traditional Western route. In its departure from genre conventions, The Power of the Dog subverts Western masculinity tropes rather than reinforcing them — particularly at the film's ending.
What Happens At The End Of The Power Of The Dog?
What Is The Cause Of Phil's Death
The Power of the Dog's tense ending begins with Phil's growing hatred for Rose as she requests that the Native Americans on their land take all the cowhide that Phil has been using to make Peter a rope. Phil sees making this rope and forming this bond with Peter as a way of recreating the relationship he had with his mentor Bronco Henry before the older cowboy's death; it's a way for Phil to finally have some sense of connection and happiness again.
The next day, he falls sick, and George takes him to the doctor, but he doesn't make it, succumbing to his infection.
After Phil blows up about Rose and her drinking problem, Peter replies that he has some cowhide he has saved to finish the rope with. Unbeknownst to Phil, Peter has taken the hide off a diseased dead cow earlier in the film. Phil then gets to work, soaking his hands in the same liquid that the diseased cowhide is in, not wearing any gloves and with a large open cut on his hand. The next day, he falls sick, and George takes him to the doctor, but he doesn't make it, succumbing to his infection.
At Phil's funeral, it is suggested to George that Phil died from anthrax, but George dismisses this notion because Phil was always very clear about not working with diseased animals. After Phil's death, the final scene shows Peter in his room, handling the rope that Phil had made for him with gloves on, but he ultimately pushes the rope under the bed, dismissing it as he hears George and Rose come home from the funeral. Peter looks out his bedroom window to see the two embracing and smiles to himself.
What Were Peter's Intentions With Phil?
Peter Was Always His Mother's Protector
The Power of the Dog explains the son's love for his mother and his willingness to protect her happiness at all costs. This plays heavily into the film's finale. It's implied throughout that Peter is gay, which aligns with The Power of the Dog meaning. Peter also eventually learns of Phil's relationship with another man during his youth. Phil, trying to keep up the front of a hyper-masculine cowboy, is reluctant to directly confirm his romantic relationship with Bronco Henry to Peter. Still, his silence is enough to suggest that the two were more than just friends.
Peter is present when Phil cuts his hand on a fencing job the two of them are on, so he begins to concoct his plan. Peter intends to get rid of Phil, who he sees as a threat to his mother with his cruel treatment of her. Whereas Phil sees almost a budding romance between himself and Peter, Peter is actually manipulating Phil and plotting to get rid of him for good, fulfilling the promise he makes in the opening narration of doing right by his mother and protecting her.
Peter Poisoned Phil To Protect His Mother
Phil's Toxic Behavior Toward Rose Led to His Death
Whatever Phil and Peter's emotional intentions with each other, Peter purposefully poisoned Phil to eliminate his step-uncle as a threat and thus protect himself and his mother. After witnessing the harmful effect Phil's performative toxic masculinity has on Rose, Peter uses his own unique set of skills to remove Phil from the picture. Peter uses their similar sexuality to lull Phil into a false sense of companionship through the making of the lasso and also draws on his medical knowledge to ensure that the rope will kill Phil when the Anthrax bacteria from the dead cow enters his open wound.
It's implied that Phil is the dog and that Rose, or even Peter himself, is the darling being delivered by the poisoning plot.
This twist in which Peter poisons Phil to protect his mother in The Power of the Dog's ending is also where the film takes its mysterious title. Following Phil's death, Peter is seen reading a Bible in his room. It's open to a significant verse from Psalms 22: "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog." It's implied that Phil is the dog and that Rose, or even Peter himself, is the darling being delivered by the poisoning plot.
Overarching Themes Of The Power Of The Dog
Phil's Toxic Masculinity Subverts Western Tropes
The Power of the Dog meaning is thematically rich, tackling toxic masculinity and its accompanying insecurities. This is displayed beautifully in the case of Phil, who is the most complex character in The Power of the Dog. At first, Phil puts up the front of a fearful leader; he's sarcastic and not particularly nice to those around him, but deep down, he just wants to find a connection with someone in the way he did with Bronco Henry.
Considering the time period, location, and the company he keeps, Phil can't express his true self to anyone, which is one of the reasons he taunts both Peter and Rose throughout The Power of the Dog. Phil looks at Peter as an inferior being at first, calling him a weakling, but gradually Phil begins to envy Peter, as the latter is more open and free about his feminine tendencies while also remaining strong-willed and tough in his own right. This is probably what sparks Phil's liking of Peter toward The Power of the Dog's ending.
The Real Meaning Of The Power Of The Dog's Ending
The Power Dynamic Switches In The Final Moments
The Power of the Dog's ending showed the poisonous way Phil treated those around him was his downfall. Phil keeps up a tough-as-nails, relentlessly mean persona with which he abuses Rose and Peter, and it leads to Peter plotting against him just as Phil is starting to warm up to him. The Power of the Dog is the tragic story of a character deluded into perpetuating the very toxic environment that would have persecuted him for his desires. It's also an alpha dog story, with Peter slowly proving his dominance over Phil despite being viewed as inadequately masculine.
Benedict Cumberbatch And Director Jane Champion Wanted To Create Conversations
Cumberbatch Explained The Duality Of Phil
When asked about The Power of the Dog meaning, both director Jane Champion and actor Benedict Cumberbatch had strong opinions. They didn't want The Power of the Dog explained in simple . They wanted the movie's ending to start conversations about what happened and why. Cumberbatch considered long and hard who and what Phil was as a human being. He explained (via Deadline):
"For me, it was a real key into understanding who this person was fundamentally, that these two things existed in him, this very strong front of masculinity for your own machismo. And this sensuality, this ability to be very fluid and delicate with his hands."
Cumberbatch went on to say that one of the things that he and Campion wanted to get people talking about was this question of masculinity at the center of most Westerns (via Digital Spy).
"There's also a massive intolerance in the world at large towards homosexuality, still, towards an acceptance of the other, of any kind of difference, and no more so than in this prism of conformity, in the sense of what is expected of a man in the Western archetype mold of masculinity."
Seeing The Power of the Dog taking a man as violent and masculine as Phil and breaking him down before his tragic end, The Power of the Dog explained that nothing is certain regardless of a person's place in society.
How The Power Of The Dog Ending Was Received
The Subtely Of The Twist Was Praised By Many
The Power of the Dog was a critically acclaimed hit with critics, earning a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars as well as a win for director Jane Campion. While there was a lot of praise put on the performances and the beautiful visuals, it is not surprising that the movie's ending was one of the most talked about aspects, with many critics sharing their love of how the twist unfolded. Esther Zuckerman at Thrillist expressed appreciation for surprising audiences without having to make the whole movie about trying to predict the twist:
Watching The Power of the Dog a second time, it's easy to see where Campion planted seeds for the finale throughout the plot. Still, it's not a film that encourages you to hunt for clues. Its brilliance is in the fact that it's all there, just waiting for you to see it. The Power of the Dog is a film about hiding. Phil hides himself, a repressed gay man, under a cloak of dirt and masculine posturing. Peter hides his plan to undo him. It requires you to look deeper.
Likewise, the ending was praised by audiences for similar reasons. There are some movies only ed for their twist endings, but The Power of the Dog was touted by fans as a film that offered so much else that the ending can truly take them by surprise. One Redditor itted that the twist ending was not even noticed during their first view of The Power of the Dog as there was so much else to engross the audience:
I'll be honest - the first time I watched it, it went completely over my head. I was so invested in the characters and their motivations that I didn't even put together the infected rope was a death sentence until George bought the coffin.
Sources: Deadline, Digital Spy
The Power of the Dog
- Release Date
- November 17, 2021
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Director
- Jane Campion
Cast
WHERE TO WATCH
The Power of the Dog is a Western drama film adapted from the novel by Thomas Savage. When a widow and her son move into a ranch, she captures the attention of a kindly gentleman named George, much to the chagrin of his brother, Phil. After they marry, Phil’s temper begins to flare, and he begins to torment the two – but his behavior may spell disaster when his new nephew’s darker side comes to light.
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