Film: Campion explores new territory with tense, lowering Western

Jane Campion returns with her first film in 12 years, a shifting, layered and ambiguous Western

Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog

Directed by Jane Campion

Netflix, 12

Rating: ****

C’mon C’mon

Directed by Mike Mills

Selected, 15A

Rating: ****

Every bit as elusive and mysterious as its title, The Power of the Dog is Jane Campion’s first film for 12 years. It’s also a real departure for the New Zealand writer and director, a slow-burning Western set in the desolate plains of 1925 Montana during that liminal crossover period between the ...