Comments on: The Power of the Dog Movie Ending Explained https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/ Movies, Books & TV for people who like to think.. Mon, 08 Jan 2024 21:32:35 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Kathy https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1185282 Mon, 08 Jan 2024 21:32:35 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1185282 I think the mother gave the jewellery to Rose because she now knew Rose would be her only daughter-in-law, and was a sweet, kind, gentle person who loved George. She wanted to establish good relations with her. It was as if Phil’s terrible influence was removed from the family and they could now be a happy family and all be kind to each other. George’s father was so pleased to be invited to spend Christmas with George and Rose, now that Phil’s nasty presence had been removed from the scene and they would have a relaxed pleasant time together.
Looking at other interesting comments on this site, I felt that Phil had been grooming Pete to be his next sexual partner, maybe the first after Bronco Henry died. Pete, who hated Phil for his treatment of Rose, was cleverly pretending that he was warming to him, to Rose’s distress because Phil had driven her to drink, and she could see Phil would turn Pete against her. But Pete was just acting a part in order to be trusted enough to infect Phil with anthrax.

]]> By: Beverly https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1170420 Tue, 13 Dec 2022 03:20:30 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1170420 Why did the mother give the jewelry to Rose? So the son could go to college?

]]> By: Lisa https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1149095 Thu, 23 Dec 2021 12:43:09 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1149095 Phil considered George a simpleton that was beneath him and not suited to ranching work. Plus he was just a terrible person. As for the parents, I think they were just retired from ranching life and moved to the city.

]]> By: chris https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1149072 Thu, 23 Dec 2021 05:57:53 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1149072 I wonder about the relationship the brothers had with their parents.
Why didn’t the parents live at the ranch?
At the funeral when George’s mother gives Rose several rings and clasps her hand in a loving way. George tells his father that he and Rose would like them to visit the father nods ‘yes’. It’s like George and Phil’s parents didn’t want anything to do with Phil. Why was Phil so awful to George?

]]> By: Lisa https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1148885 Tue, 21 Dec 2021 13:00:09 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1148885 I wholeheartedly agree with you, Serena. Killing Pete was not his objective at all and would have probably be the last thing he ever wanted to do. He thought he could be Pete’s Bronco Henry of sorts.

]]> By: Serena https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1148794 Mon, 20 Dec 2021 23:44:05 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1148794 Pete is absolutely gay.

Phil does not want to kill him. That’s a bad misreading of the film. He wants to recreate the relationship he had with Bronco Henry. He recognises, or thinks he does, his younger self in Peter. A gay man who is living his truth openly instead of repressing and hiding behind toxic masculinity. Peter figures this out and uses it to manipulate Phil so he can help his mother by getting rid of her tormentor.

Phil shows Pete his true self in the cigarette scene. He decides to mentor Pete because Peter discovered who Phil really was when he found Phil bathing etc. Phil is repressed and continuously mourning the one person he truly loved: Bronco Henry. And, again, by mentoring Pete he was trying to travel back in time to the point he was free to be himself and happy.

]]> By: Lisa https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1148180 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 13:49:23 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1148180 Pete’s relationship with his mother was definitely bordering on unhealthy and I agree he probably had a hand in his father’s death. This movie becomes totally something else by the end and at least for me I thought the victim was someone else entirely right up til the end! And then, wham! That’s what makes it so great!

]]> By: Carolyn https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1148179 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 13:39:00 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1148179 Of course Phil knows he’s going to die. That’s why he’s wearing his “funeral suit”
Also – no one commented on the pseudosexual relationship between Peter and his mother. Recall that one scene where she has her hands on his face and he says “mother you don’t have to do that”.

Regarding Peter’s father’s suicide. I agree that Pete had a role in that. He makes a comment to Phil that his father thought he was “too tough”. Maybe his father knew about Peter’s sadistic treatment of animals (sociopathy) and streak of deception and manipulation.or perhaps the father feared he would have a similar fate.
What I liked least about the movie was the prolonged beating of the horse. The point could have been made with less abuse and the majority of the whipping off camera through sound engineering

]]> By: Carolyn https://taylorholmes.com/2021/10/15/the-power-of-the-dog-movie-ending-explained/#comment-1148177 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 13:27:22 +0000 https://taylorholmes.com/?p=26314#comment-1148177 Of course Phil knows he’s going to die. That’s why he’s wearing his “funeral suit”

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