Will the Queer Cowboys of ‘Power of the Dog’ Reign Supreme at the Oscars?

Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle March 22, 2022

Is director Jane Campion’s queer cowboy tale Power of the Dog going to be the big dog winner at this year’s Academy Awards? Some critics certainly think so.

The Associated Press:

Ahead of the 94th Academy Awards this week, Associated Press Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle share their predictions for a ceremony with much still up in the air.
BEST PICTURE
The Nominees: “Belfast”; “CODA”; “Don’t Look Up”; “Drive My Car”; “Dune”; “King Richard”; “Licorice Pizza”; “Nightmare Alley”; “The Power of the Dog”; “West Side Story.”
BAHR: At this point it really feels like the award will go to The Power of the Dog. It is paradoxically both a safe choice and a game changer in that it would be a first best picture win for Netflix after years of trying. Jane Campion’s last major shot at picture (and director) was with “The Piano,” but in 1994 that basically stood no chance against “Schindler’s List.” This time, it’s her film that has the leg up on the Spielberg. And yet there is a possibility that “CODA” could “Little Miss Sunshine”/”Green Book” its way in there as the feel-good alternative — which was what “Belfast” was supposed to be. (Since this article was first published, the chances for “CODA” improved after winning the top honor at the Producers Guild this weekend.)
COYLE: I’m calling the “CODA” upset. The smart money is on Campion’s film. But the win for “CODA” at the Screen Actors Guild — where “The Power of the Dog” failed to get nominated for best ensemble — suggests strong passion for the film, and maybe a crowd-pleasing advantage on the academy’s preferential ballot. Either film, though, will symbolize the ascent of streaming in Hollywood. It would hand a streaming service — Netflix or Apple — Hollywood’s most prestigious honor for the first time. Maybe that’s a big deal, maybe it’s belated confirmation of what everyone has known for some time.
BEST DIRECTOR
The Nominees: Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”; Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”; Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”; Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”; Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story.”
COYLE: Campion has long been the frontrunner. For the trailblazing filmmaker, who nearly three decades ago became only the second woman nominated in this category, it’s a coronation long in coming. Campion, the first woman ever to be twice nominated for best director, will win, and her cinematographer, Ari Wegner, will become the first woman to win that award — a triumph that should have happened long ago for women behind the camera.
BAHR: Yes, but will she thank Sam Elliott?