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The Power of the Dog poster

Is The Power of the Dog OK for Kids?

DramaWestern
16+
R⭐ 6.8 / 102021 · 2h 7m
Jane Campion

Where to Watch

United States

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Streaming data by JustWatch

What's In It

Based on the actual screenplay
🗡️Violence
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
1
Cartoon / Comedic
2
Action & Peril
2
Injuries & Death Shown
2
Graphic & Disturbing
  • Phil castrates cattle on-screen, with dialogue about nicking his thumb during the procedure
  • Peter practices surgical dissection on a rabbit, with the animal's killing implied rather than shown
  • Phil injures his hand, which is later revealed to be anthrax infection contracted from diseased cattle hide
  • Phil dies from anthrax poisoning in a graphic scene described as involving terrible convulsions
  • Cattle branding and wrestling scenes show physical struggle between men and animals; Peter also falls from a horse during a riding lesson
  • A rabbit is caught in a trap in one scene, described as scared but unharmed
  • Overall tone is grim and psychological rather than action-oriented; violence is infrequent but the final death scene is unsettling
💬Language
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Mild Words
(damn, hell)
3
Moderate
(ass, b**ch)
44
Strong
(sh*t)
2
Extreme
(f**k)
  • Characters say da**/damned (15 times), hell (12 times), and Christ (3 times) throughout
  • The insult 'fatso' is used repeatedly (8 times), along with b**ch (6 times), a** (2 times), and wh**e (1 time)
  • The homophobic slur 'faggot' is used twice, which is the most severe language in the film
  • No f-words or c-words are used, but the frequency of strong language and the slur push this into serious territory for younger viewers
👻Scary Scenes
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
2
Mildly Tense
0
Startling Moments
1
Genuinely Scary
3
Deeply Disturbing
  • Phil tells a disturbing story about a woman's golden hair continuing to grow inside her coffin after death
  • Rose's drinking problem escalates all summer, with erratic and increasingly desperate behavior including stashing alcohol around the property
  • Phil's grooming of Peter—showering him with gifts like a saddle and rope while manipulating him emotionally about his father's suicide—is quietly disturbing rather than overtly scary
  • Rose collapses while attempting to give hides away to Native Americans, a tense and upsetting scene of her mental unraveling
  • Phil's deathbed scene, with convulsions and the revelation of anthrax infection, is disturbing to watch
  • There are no jump scares; tension comes from psychological dread and slow-building family conflict, resolved through Phil's death
💕Romance
Moderate▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
1
Crushes & Holding Hands
1
Kissing & Dating
3
Suggestive
0
Sexual Content
  • George and Rose's courtship leads to a secretly arranged marriage, revealed to a shocked Phil
  • George and Rose dance together and share teaching moments with implied physical closeness
  • Rose shows emotional dependence on and attraction to George, seeking comfort from him after her first husband's death
  • Phil's backstory implies a repressed homosexual attraction to his mentor Bronco Henry, including a description of them sleeping 'body against body'
  • Phil's excessive attention and gift-giving toward Peter is portrayed with suggestive, predatory undertones rather than shown as physical romance
  • No explicit sexual content is depicted on screen
🍺Substances
Moderate▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
3
Mentioned in Passing
1
Shown Casually
1
Featured Prominently
0
Glorified or Abused
  • Rose's alcoholism is a central plot thread; she drinks 'all summer,' hides alcohol around the property, and is shown drinking in an alley
  • A doctor observes that Rose drinks 'half-shot' and has an 'alcoholic personality,' framing her drinking negatively
  • Characters drink wine and alcohol casually at dinner parties
  • It's mentioned that Bronco Henry and George drank 'herring at the saloon and a whole lot of alcohol' in the past
  • George's father is said to have 'hit the bottle pretty hard' before his suicide, linking alcohol to family trauma
⚡Stimulation
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Gently Engaging
1
Exciting
2
Intense
1
Overwhelming
  • Cattle castration and branding sequences involve shouting, physical struggle, and intense ranch labor
  • Horse riding lessons between Phil and Peter build tension as skills are taught under pressure
  • Rose's mental breakdown and collapse during a family dinner party creates a highly tense, overwhelming emotional sequence
  • Phil's final illness, with convulsions leading to death from anthrax, is an overwhelming and emotionally heavy sequence
  • Overall pacing is slow and deliberate, punctuated by these intense emotional and physical peaks; not likely to overstimulate sensory-sensitive viewers except during the final illness scene
The Power of the Dog — Heads Up for Parents

Despite its restrained, slow-paced drama style, parents should be aware the film includes a homophobic slur ('faggot') used twice and a disturbing implication that Peter may have deliberately caused Phil's fatal anthrax infection through the rope and saddle Phil gave him.

About The Power of the Dog

Set on a 1920s Montana ranch, this slow-burn psychological drama follows brothers Phil and George Burbank after George marries the widow Rose, whose sensitive son Peter becomes the target of Phil's manipulative attention. The film explores repressed sexuality, grief, alcoholism, and cruelty beneath the surface of frontier masculinity, building to a quietly devastating conclusion involving anthrax poisoning.

⚠️
Watch with your child
Themes of suicide, alcoholism, psychological manipulation/grooming, and repressed sexuality are heavy and subtle — teens 16+ will benefit from a parent present to unpack Phil's grooming of Peter and the ambiguous ending regarding his death.

Family Takeaways from The Power of the Dog

What it gets right

  • ✓The film honestly portrays the toll of unresolved grief and trauma through Rose's alcoholism and Peter's father's suicide, without glamorizing it
  • ✓George's quiet decency—helping Rose after her husband's death and defending her against Phil—models loyalty and respect within a family

The Power of the Dog Cultural & Values Guide

Cultural & Values Guide

Values & Themes
●LGBTQ themes

Phil Burbank's repressed homosexuality and his relationship with Peter are central to the film's psychological drama. The exploration of closeted sexuality in 1920s Montana drives the entire narrative tension.

Cast:Benedict CumberbatchKodi Smit-McPheeKirsten DunstJesse PlemonsThomasin McKenzie

Is The Power of the Dog Appropriate for Your Child's Age?

✗Age 5: Not recommended for 5-year-olds
✗Age 8: Not recommended for 8-year-olds
✗Age 10: Not recommended for 10-year-olds
✗Age 12: Not recommended for 12-year-olds
✗Age 13: Not recommended for 13-year-olds
✗Age 15: Not recommended for 15-year-olds
✓Age 17: Generally appropriate for 17-year-olds

Individual children may vary — use your judgment.

Parents also ask about The Power of the Dog

  • Is The Power of the Dog appropriate for a 16-year-old?
  • Does The Power of the Dog have violence?
  • Is The Power of the Dog OK for kids?
  • What is the age rating for The Power of the Dog?

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