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Explore Campion’s works prior to ‘Power of the Dog’
Jane Campion’s latest film, the sweeping, uneasy psychological Western “Power of the Dog” has bowed on Netflix, an early holiday treat for cinephiles.
“Power of the Dog” cements Campion’s status as one of our finest master filmmakers, though her body of work proves that designation was never in question.
“Power of the Dog,” for which Campion won the Silver Lion prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival, is adapted from the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage.
The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as mysterious Montana rancher Phil Burbank, a mercurial figure who affects an outsize influence on the lives of his brother and sister-in-law (Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst) while forging a strange connection with his stepnephew (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
Campion tells this story in glances, gesture and song, crafting a carefully studied and breathless mystery, holding the audience in her controlled grasp at every moment. It’s an astonishing achievement anchored by virtuosic performances from Cumberbatch and Dunst, especially.
Wisely, Netflix has also made available three more of Campion’s best — and best known — films for anyone who might want to seek out more of her work after (or before) watching “Power of the Dog.”
Don’t hesitate to watch “The Piano” on Netflix. Campion was the first female filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993 for this stunning historical romantic drama starring Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Harvey Keitel and Anna Paquin. The film was also set in Campion’s native New Zealand. In addition, Campion won the Oscar for the screenplay of “The Piano,” with Hunter and Paquin winning Oscars for best actress and best supporting actress.
Also on Netflix is Campion’s 2003 erotic thriller “In the Cut,” starring Meg Ryan playing against type opposite Mark Ruffalo as a detective investigating a brutal murder.
For something gentler, stream Campion’s 2009 film “Bright Star” on Netflix. The film starring Ben Whishaw as the poet John Keats and Abbie Cornish as his lover Fanny Brawne is a gorgeous swoon of pure cinema.
Campion was nominated for an Emmy for directing the series “Top of the Lake” starring Elisabeth Moss, who won a Golden Globe for best actress in the role of Robin Griffin, a detective investigating the disappearance of a young girl. Both season one of “Top of the Lake,” which aired in 2013, and the 2017 second season, “Top of the Lake: China Girl,” are streaming on Hulu.
If you’d like to go back all the way to the beginning of Campion’s remarkable career, she made her directorial debut with the 1989 film “Sweetie,” about a dysfunctional Australian family. That film is streaming on HBO Max.