Is Phil [Benedict Cumberbatch] Gay Power of the Dog?

Contents:

• IS PHIL GAY THE POWER OF THE DOG?
• IS PHIL GAY THE POWER OF THE DOG? NETFLIX MOVIE SPOILERS
• IS PHIL GAY IN POWER OF THE DOG?
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH REFLECTS ON PLAYG A REPRSED GAY CHARACTER 'THE POWER OF THE DOG'
• ‘THE POWER OF THE DOG’: CUMBERBATCH ON STRAIGHT ACTORS GAY ROL

IS PHIL GAY THE POWER OF THE DOG?

So, is Phil Burbank gay? Although is never mentned out loud, Phil is most certaly gay ‘The Power of the Dog. Several reports claim that Savage, who was married and had children, was a closeted gay man.

Although Phil is partly based on Savage’s step-uncle, William Brenner, the novelist adds his own stggl wh homosexualy to the character. One of the most pivotal scen addrsg Phil’s homosexualy is a seclud gla by a pond. Consirg the novel and film’s backdrop of a homophobic and heteronormative society, is unrstandable why Phil reprs his sexual inty.

IS PHIL GAY THE POWER OF THE DOG? NETFLIX MOVIE SPOILERS

” So, we n safely assume that Phil Burbank is gay ‘The Power of the Dog.

Is Phil gay The Power of the Dog? Image om Netflix Media Phil gay The Power of the Dog?

Y, many sequenc the film suggt that Phil is a closeted homosexual, keepg his homosexualy hidn om everybody else on the ’re troduced to the character as a nontatnal, hyper-mascule antagonist who is prented as beg nstant petn wh the men around him. He’s the alpha male and the others – bis his brother – speak to him like the patriarchal figure of the they ask him about Bron Henry, they do so a childlike manner, as if they’re askg their father about their the narrative progrs ’s implied that the excsively macho exterr is actually a way to avoid anybody disverg that he is gay; an overpensatn of sorts stemmg om reprsn.

IS PHIL GAY IN POWER OF THE DOG?

A key scene, some reful dialogue, and Phil’s sudn sire to strike up a iendship wh Peter show that Cumberbatch’s character is gay.

The scen clue the dience to the fact that Phil’s aggrsivens is meant to mask his sexualy and the lonels he feels a time which homosexualy was disapproved of.

All of the subtle elements of The Power of the Dog e together to prove that Phil is secretly gay, even though is never explicly nfirmed. ”If only his character wasn’t bogged down by the need to humanize him by revealg halfway through that he is a eply closeted gay man. To say that is appropriate to have homosexual them or allns a Wtern is like sayg p movi shouldn’t have r chas.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH REFLECTS ON PLAYG A REPRSED GAY CHARACTER 'THE POWER OF THE DOG'

Take another look at the source material, say that is appropriate to have homosexual them or allns a Wtern is like sayg p movi shouldn’t have r Burbank is a man who tnts and hounds his brother and sister--law so relentlsly that they are aaid of him even when he’s not around. But fact, the film mostly rerc the longstandg and problematic trope of the tortured homosexual, which only further intifi L.

(The fact that Cumberbatch’s last big Osr-worthy movie, “The Imatn Game, ” volved him playg a eply reprsed gay man, this se forced to unrgo chemil stratn when he is found out, do not help. Phil Burbank is a gay character om The Power of the Dog. Phil is a gay man, who is not only eply the closet, but also reprsg his homosexualy to a harmful gree.

Even when Peter disvers that Phil is gay (by disverg his secret stash of magaz featurg pictur of naked athetic men) Phil is unable to have an open nversatn about the subject and talks metaphors and unrstatements stead. While popular culture is only tchg up to queer history the wild wt, historians and other amics have long known that homosexualy was mon the ontier.

‘THE POWER OF THE DOG’: CUMBERBATCH ON STRAIGHT ACTORS GAY ROL

As a closeted rancher mourng the ath of his lover, Phil Burbank his his te nature through homophobia and abive, performative masculy, which led to Phil’s plex relatnship Power of the Dog's the queer-d Peter Gordon (Kodi Sm-McPhee), whom Phil mentors on the ranch jt like Bron did for Phil.

Whether or not Peter was aware that he killed Phil wh the anthrax-fted whi leather, both Bron and Phil’s aths reprent the fall of closeted homophobia and mascule theatrics, givg way to Peter’s unapologetic queerns, nfince, and self-termatn – reflective of Thomas Savage’s own experienc as a gay man who me of age the early 1900s. Cumberbatch, who is straight and has prevly played a gay character, has faced creased scty this role.