The 2021 New York Film Festival will feature Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog as its centerpiece screening, it was announced today.
The title joins the previously announced Tragedy of Macbeth, which is set to open the festival on Sept. 24. The Power of the Dog will screen on Oct. 1.
The film, which is set to be released by Netflix, is adapted from a 1967 cult novel by Thomas Savage about the emotional torment experienced at a Montana cattle ranch in the 1920s. The story follows sad, young widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive new husband, George (Jesse Plemons) as they deal with the erratic, potentially violent behavior of his sullen, bullying brother Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch). Phil distrusts both Rose and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), leading to tragic consequences.