Will The Power of the Dog finally help break the Netflix curse at the Oscars?
Since 2013, Netflix has received 54 nominations with just eight wins. In 2013, the first-ever nomination for the streamer came in form of the documentary feature The Square. Although the Netflix films have never had any tough time finding spots on the ballots, they have always been snubbed in the more prominent categories. Of all the films that have been nominated, David Fincher’s Mank, starring Gary Oldman, Charles Dance, Amanda Seyfried and more, based on Citizen Kane co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, has led the race with a total of 10 Oscar nods.
However, with a staggering 12-nomination nod, Jane Campion’s 2021 film, The Power of the Dog seems to have outpaced its predecessors.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee in prominent roles, the film is based on Thomas Savage’s eponymous 1967 novel. This widely-acclaimed film revolves around the lives of wealthy rancher brothers in the 1920s and provides a social commentary on darker themes of internalised homophobia, misogyny, bullying etc.
According to the latest reports, The Power of the Dog has broken the previous Netflix records held by Roma and Mank by garnering 12 Oscar nominations.
These categories include the highly-coveted Best Picture Award, the Best Director, Best Lead Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, two Best Supporting Actor Awards for both Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee as well as the Best Supporting Actress Award for Kirsten Dunst.
The film has also been nominated for sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Production Design, Cinematography etc.
Film buffs cannot wait to find out if Jane Campion will make history with the first-ever Netflix Original Best Picture win at Oscars 2022, scheduled to be held on March 27th, 2022.
