30 Greatest Best Picture Oscar Nominees Of The Last Ten Years
28. The Power Of The Dog
The Power of the Dog, which is director Jane Campion's first film in twelve years, has a deceptively simple set-up: A cruel but charismatic rancher (Benedict Cumberbatch) torments his brother's wife (Kirsten Dunst) and stepson (Kodi Smit-McPhee) when they come to stay on his ranch.
It sounds fairly straightforward, but in fact it's anything but. The film's beautifully written screenplay peels back the layers of these characters and brings all of their wounds and demons to the surface in this absolutely haunting psychological drama, which is utterly drenched in suffocating angst.
Magnificently directed and featuring captivating performances from all of the leads, this former Best Picture front-runner genuinely did live up to the hype and while it maybe wasn't quite the greatest of 2021's line-up (mainly because the ending was a little too unclear, although viewers will be impressed once they understand exactly what happened), it would've been very difficult to complain about it winning. Maybe it isn't number one, but it is a great film.
Sadly, Power of the Dog eventually lost momentum and Best Picture instead went to CODA, a far less accomplished film on every single level.