Oscars 2022: ‘The Power of the Dog’ Almost Goes Emptyhanded, Except for 1 Historic Win
The Power of the Dog was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and it was a frontrunner for Best Picture. Unfortunately, for the film, it only ended up winning one Oscar. However, the one award that it did win is monumental in many ways and will continue to be remembered in Oscars history.
‘The Power of the Dog’ was the most nominated film for the 2022 Oscars
Amongst the ten nominees for Best Picture, The Power of the Dog earned the most nominations with 12. This includes Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. All four of the main actors were also nominated for Oscars, including Benedict Cumberbatch for Best Actor.
The film stars Cumberbatch as Phil, a vicious rancher, who mentally torments, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), his brother’s (Jesse Plemons) new wife. Phil begins to bond with Rose’s unconventional son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). However, there is much more to Peter than meets the eye.
Before the Oscars, The Power of the Dog had a successful run on the awards circuit. The movie won the BAFTA award, the Golden Globe, and the Critic’s Choice award for Best Picture. Jane Campion had also won several awards for her achievement in direction, leading up to her historic win at the Oscars.
Jane Campion won Best Director for ‘The Power of the Dog’
Jane Campion’s Best Director win is a momentous one. Campion is the third woman to win the Best Director award. She joins Kathryn Bigelow, who won for The Hurt Locker, and Chloe Zhao, who won for Nomadland. A woman has now won Best Director in back-to-back years as Zhao won at the 2021 Oscars.
Campion was previously nominated for The Piano (1993) but lost to Steven Spielberg for Schindler’s List. She once again went up against Spielberg (this time for West Side Story) but ended up being the winner this time. In her speech, Campion called it a “lifetime honor” and thanked her cast and crew, along with Netflix for having faith in the movie.
‘CODA’ and ‘Dune’ were the big winners of the 2022 Oscars
Despite having the most nominations, The Power of the Dog lost in every single category except for one. Dune earned the second most nominations with ten, and it won in many of the technical categories such as Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing. Many fans felt the biggest snub of the night may have been Denis Villeneuve for Best Director, who wasn’t nominated.
CODA snagged three awards away from Power of the Dog, winning Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. CODA made history itself as Troy Kotsur became the first deaf actor to win Best Supporting Actor and CODA is the first Best Picture winner featuring a predominantly deaf cast. CODA also won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
While Power of the Dog came up short in several categories, it’s one major win deserves to be remembered. The Power of the Dog is currently streaming on Netflix.
