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This post was found to be inappropriate by the moderators and has been removed.It wasn’t what I expected it to be and I’m sadly underwhelmed, I really wanted to like this. It’s not bad at all but pretty predictable and without risks.
Dunst and Plemmons don’t have much to do, I was disappointed by that.
You thought it was “pretty predictable and without risks?” May I ask if you had read the book before seeing the movie? If not, you really predicted what happened in the last 15 minutes? If so, kudos to you.
I loved this movie so much, the way Kodi is the main piece of this plot scared me, the movie starts with him saying “what man would I be if I didn’t help my mom?”, midway through the movie in conversation with Phil about alcoholism he says that his mother was never one to drink alcohol before Phil came into their lives, and in the end he takes revenge on Phil in a smart and cold way, going back to the principle of defending his mother, the script is very intelligent and the film has great direction, I loved the performances and hope they all get recognized at the awards, but Kodi… Kodi was instrumental from start to finish.
I’m surprised how little has been said about the satellite ensemble win, I would have thought the campaign would want to make a big deal of it leading into critics awards phase.
It wasn’t what I expected it to be and I’m sadly underwhelmed, I really wanted to like this. It’s not bad at all but pretty predictable and without risks.
Dunst and Plemmons don’t have much to do, I was disappointed by that.
What were you expecting? I’ve seen this before and it boggles my mind because Campion tackled the western exactly as I had expected. Have you watched her other movies?
Not only is the film Campionesque, but anyone who has read the book can see how wonderfully she’s stayed faithful to the story.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
More random thoughts on TPOTD:
Do you think that Phil wanted to be a mentor for Peter, like Bronco Henry was for him? Teach him how to ride a horse, make a rope and maybe other things as well? 😉 Was he really taking Peter under his wing or do you think that he was just getting close to Peter to get back at Rose, because he was jealous about his brother’s relationship with her? I love this ambiguity in the film and that you can see this story in a number of ways.
Have you noticed that at the end of the movie Peter caresses the rope just like Phil used to caress Bronco Henry’s saddle? In this second watch I had a crazy thought: “Wait, what if Phil is Peter’s Bronco Henry? How did Bronco Henry die, lol?”. Because for outsiders, Phil and Peter were close and he taught Peter many things about being a rancher. I mean, I wonder how in the future Peter’s going to talk about Phil.
Rose definitely knows that Peter has a morbid character at the very least, because she remarks upon the fact that the sound he makes with the comb makes her shudder. Peter’s father also knew something about him, because in a conversation with Phil he says that his father thought he wasn’t kind and that he was too strong. I don’t think that Rose knows the full extent of Peter’s capabilities (but that can be interpreted) and Phil just has no clue. The foreshadowing with the rabbit is just so misleading, but in a really clever way.
Do you know when the servants in the kitchen are talking about the dead woman whose hair continued to grow in the coffin? I don’t remember that from the book and it’s such a quirky Jane Campion thing to add to the script. Why do you think it’s there? Maybe Rose is feeling a bit like a dead woman in a coffin. That’s so creepy! That’s another example of clever and misleading foreshadowing, I just realized now.
Anyway, a masterpiece from Jane Campion who is absolutely not a niche filmmaker! If you don’t see that everybody’s terrific (especially Kodi) you’re watching the movie blindfolded and with earplugs on!
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
More random thoughts on TPOTD:
Do you think that Phil wanted to be a mentor for Peter, like Bronco Henry was for him? Teach him how to ride a horse, make a rope and maybe other things as well? 😉 Was he really taking Peter under his wing or do you think that he was just getting close to Peter to get back at Rose, because he was jealous about his brother’s relationship with her? I love this ambiguity in the film and that you can see this story in a number of ways.
SPOILERS
I think Phil definitely started courting Peter at first to purely unnerve Rose, but have gotten close to Peter, much to Phil’s own surprise. The crucial point in their relationship being when Peter sees the barking dog in the hill, which only Phil (and Bronco) saw. Peter has continued to surprise Phil, who initially wrote him off just as the “suicide widow”‘s “sissy” son. Another crucial scene is when Peter kills the wounded rabbit, impressing Phil. I think Phil began seeing a lot of himself in Peter, and towards the end even realized his attraction to Peter and wanting to be Peter’s Bronco Henry figure, as a mentor, and as implied, possibly a lover. The final scene between the two, when Phil is finishing the rope as Peter watches, is so chilling with subtext and tension.
What I started wondering about upon rewatching the movie on Netflix, is how much Rose knew her son exactly. The scene where she hysterically runs off after Phil and Peter riding off on horses, and she tells George she doesn’t want them spending time together.. at first I thought she was simply worried about Peter falling under Phil’s wing, but the way I saw it now is, what if Rose was actually worried about PHIL, knowing her son’s true character.
The movie is just so so good, and I cannot wait to watch it again on the big screen somewhere. I hope it wins all the awards. The Academy better not sleep on Kodi Smit-McPhee in particular. He was electrifying and magnificent.
Do you think that Phil wanted to be a mentor for Peter, like Bronco Henry was for him? Teach him how to ride a horse, make a rope and maybe other things as well? Was he really taking Peter under his wing or do you think that he was just getting close to Peter to get back at Rose, because he was jealous about his brother’s relationship with her? I love this ambiguity in the film and that you can see this story in a number of ways.
Having read the book, he did it at first to spite Rose but he ended up getting close to Peter and later craving intimacy. There’s a scene towards the end where it’s heavily implied that he felt a powerful attraction towards him but desisted in making any move.
You thought it was “pretty predictable and without risks?” May I ask if you had read the book before seeing the movie? If not, you really predicted what happened in the last 15 minutes? If so, kudos to you.
SPOILERS
As someone who hasn’t read the book yet, figuring it out the moment Peter mentions he has that hide actually made me enjoy that last scene between him and Phil even more. It’s a great scene and the performances are amazing. I think it can actually be read in many ways? It’s very layered. For me it was unnerving and sadistic, the music was incredible, and I found Peter to be a fascinating character, Kodi was just fantastic. The moment I finished I wanted to do a rewatch, especially because I think there’s a lot to Rose I may have missed in my first watch. Like another user said, how much did she know about her son’s true character?
I normally don’t participate in the discussions here but this movie was really something and I found myself going back to it over and over since I saw it. Can’t wait to read the book eventually, I’m sure there’s a lot more there.
Cumberbatch was miscast in my opinion. I think someone with more sex appeal might’ve worked better. I think an American actor might’ve been better here to be quite honest. Cumberbatch just seemed a bit belabored and affected. He was great. Don’t get me wrong, but with a different actor in lead this could’ve been so much more elevated. I think Michael Fassbender, although not American might’ve been a bit better.
I might be wrong as it’s been a while since I read the book, but I don’t remember Phil being described as someone with traditional “sex appeal”. I might have to dig out my copy and find exactly where it describes his appearance as quite unusual or plain. Therefore I’d argue he was perfectly cast as Phil features wise, since Cumberbatch seems to be a bit like Tom Hardy in that many people drool over him while others don’t get it at all.
FYC:
Swinton, Weerasethakul Memoria, (Best Actress, Director)
Efira, Rampling, Wilson Benedetta (Best Actress, Supporting Actress/Actor)
Rapace Lamb (Best Actress)
Stewart, Hawkins, Spall Spencer (Best Actress, Supporting Actress/Actor)Having read the book, he did it at first to spite Rose but he ended up getting close to Peter and later craving intimacy. There’s a scene towards the end where it’s heavily implied that he felt a powerful attraction towards him but desisted in making any move.
I guess I’ll have to read the book then. But based on what I’ve seen here Campion has been pretty faithful to it. Gotta say I love how much discussion this film triggers. Truly brilliant.
Having read the book, he did it at first to spite Rose but he ended up getting close to Peter and later craving intimacy. There’s a scene towards the end where it’s heavily implied that he felt a powerful attraction towards him but desisted in making any move.
I agree with your point of view. I remember asking myself who was playing who at one point. I mean, for a while I wasn’t completely sure that Phil wasn’t making Peter feel that he was impressed by him. This is such a good movie to dissect and to talk about.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS More random thoughts on TPOTD: Do you think that Phil wanted to be a mentor for Peter, like Bronco Henry was for him? Teach him how to ride a horse, make a rope and maybe other things as well?
Was he really taking Peter under his wing or do you think that he was just getting close to Peter to get back at Rose, because he was jealous about his brother’s relationship with her? I love this ambiguity in the film and that you can see this story in a number of ways. Have you noticed that at the end of the movie Peter caresses the rope just like Phil used to caress Bronco Henry’s saddle? In this second watch I had a crazy thought: “Wait, what if Phil is Peter’s Bronco Henry? How did Bronco Henry die, lol?”. Because for outsiders, Phil and Peter were close and he taught Peter many things about being a rancher. I mean, I wonder how in the future Peter’s going to talk about Phil. Rose definitely knows that Peter has a morbid character at the very least, because she remarks upon the fact that the sound he makes with the comb makes her shudder. Peter’s father also knew something about him, because in a conversation with Phil he says that his father thought he wasn’t kind and that he was too strong. I don’t think that Rose knows the full extent of Peter’s capabilities (but that can be interpreted) and Phil just has no clue. The foreshadowing with the rabbit is just so misleading, but in a really clever way. Do you know when the servants in the kitchen are talking about the dead woman whose hair continued to grow in the coffin? I don’t remember that from the book and it’s such a quirky Jane Campion thing to add to the script. Why do you think it’s there? Maybe Rose is feeling a bit like a dead woman in a coffin. That’s so creepy! That’s another example of clever and misleading foreshadowing, I just realized now. Anyway, a masterpiece from Jane Campion who is absolutely not a niche filmmaker! If you don’t see that everybody’s terrific (especially Kodi) you’re watching the movie blindfolded and with earplugs on! SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
In this scene where Peter makes the sound with the comb and bothers Rose, this scene responds to the fact that Peter also killed his father, he had already said that Peter was stronger than they thought, at the beginning of the film he shows a rope in Peter’s room that was used in his father’s “suicide”, and returning to the comb scene, Rose arrives near him and says she is worried and that she didn’t want him to go to the point of going too far, in case she already knows from her son’s cold and murderous nature to defend her, she feared he would kill Phil too.
at first I thought she was simply worried about Peter falling under Phil’s wing, but the way I saw it now is, what if Rose was actually worried about PHIL, knowing her son’s true character.
YESSS EXACTLY
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