Y’know who knew how to create meaning with only images? Bronco Henry, that’s who.
The Power of the Dog is a movie that takes people by surprise. It’s a slow-burning, thoroughly considered yet simple tale about love, longing, revenge, loyalty, and all kinds of other human things that happen in moments where we aren’t saying what we mean.
It’s a classic example of show don’t tell. Of letting the audience do some mental math and figure out what’s really going on in the spaces between dialogue. Rarely do the characters say what they mean, or express what they are thinking.
There is masterful work here in the visuals, the performances, the writing, and directing… but today, we’re talking about the magic of the editing. Where all those other things come together to form actual meaning.
Author: George Edelman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
