Does Peter Kill Phil in ‘The Power of the Dog?’

Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog has been dominating the 2022 film awards season. The Western psychological drama scored the most Oscar nominations (12 in total) and also received 7 BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. The film received very high praise for its screenplay, cinematography, the performances of the four leads, and Campion’s directing.

The Power of the Dog follows hardened, misogynist rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his soft-spoken, kind brother, George Burbank (Jesse Plemons). When the two brothers settle at an inn during a cattle drive, George is quickly taken with the innkeeper, a widow named Rose (Kirsten Dunst). The two wed, and Rose comes to live on the ranch. Her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), also comes to stay on the ranch during summer break from medical school.

Phil instantly takes a disliking to Rose and Peter and sets out to make Rose’s life miserable through psychological torment. He and the ranchers also take to relentlessly taunting and humiliating Peter. However, when the prospect of love arises, Phil’s attitude towards Peter changes, and they strike up an unexpected bond. This bond is much to the chagrin of Rose, who has turned to alcohol because of Phil’s abuse. However, the film then takes a very ambiguous twist.

How does Phil die in The Power of the Dog?

Once Phil and Peter strike up their bond, Phil sets out to make him a lasso from rawhide. However, in a moment of retaliation against Phil, Rose sells all of his rawhide. Phil becomes enraged that he can’t finish the lasso, but Peter has a solution. He gives Phil hide that he had cut from a dead cow, which Phil uses to finish the lasso.

The day after finishing the lasso, Phil is found sick in bed by George. A wound on his hand has become infected, and he is delirious. George hauls him off to the hospital, but it is too late, and Phil passes away. At the funeral, George is told Phil died of anthrax. This greatly puzzles George, as Phil was always cautious of diseased cattle. It becomes apparent that his wound was infected by the hide he took from Peter. While it was Peter’s actions that led to Phil’s passing, the film doesn’t explicitly state whether he did so intentionally. However, there are many subtle hints that point to the fact that Peter did kill Phil intentionally.

Peter’s foreshadowing

The biggest hint is given at the beginning of the film, when Peter, narrating, states, “For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother? If I did not save her?” By the time the film has concluded, viewers might have forgotten this quote. However, upon looking back, Peter’s quote lines up perfectly with the film’s ending. He took a drastic measure, killing Phil, in order to save his mother. His opening statement foreshadows exactly how far he will go to help his mother.

Peter’s smile at the end

The ambiguous final scene in The Power of the Dog is another big hint of Peter’s intent. Peter skips Phil’s funeral, but watches Rose and George return from his window. Rose is sober, and she and George share a happy embrace together. Peter watches them, then turns from his window with a smile. His smile indicates that his plan to save his mother succeeded.

Peter’s background

Of course, one could argue that Peter didn’t know his hide would infect Phil. However, even thought he was not a rancher, his background in medical school would surely make him knowledgeable of a bacterial infection like anthrax. While he couldn’t have possibly planned his mother selling the rawhide, it seems he saw the opportunity and embraced it. He knew he had cut the rawhide from a dead cow and that Phil had an open wound on his hand.

The final hint of Peter’s intentions comes from the story of how Peter’s father died. Peter tells Phil that he found the body of his alcoholic father after he had hung himself. His father’s death and history with alcohol must certainly raise Peter’s concerns about his mother’s alcoholism. Her drinking is very obviously caused by Phil’s torment, and if Phil isn’t removed from the picture, Rose could meet the same fate as her late alcoholic husband.

Overall, there do seem to be very strong indicators that Peter intended to kill Phil. He had a motive, expressed contentment after Phil’s death, and had the necessary knowledge to pull off the scheme. With that being said, the film is only implying Peter’s intention in Phil’s death. Since it is not confirmed, some viewers could very well interpret Peter as innocent. After all, Peter couldn’t predict that Phil would cut his hand or that Rose would sell the rawhide. Perhaps, he didn’t intend at all for Phil to die, but couldn’t deny that it brought his mother happiness after the fact. Whether or not Peter intentionally killed Phil is ultimately left to the viewer’s interpretation.

(Image: Netflix)