As a mystery author and animal disease expert, I award the film a grade of B on its use of anthrax in a key criminal act. With my anthrax research, how do I interpret the pivotal function of anthrax in the movie? This is based on the creators’ choices, not their source material in the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage.Īs of February, 2022, “The Power of the Dog” has a score of 93% with Rotten Tomatoes.

Maya Maguire, faces down in Arizona while juggling personal dilemmas and new relationships. Anthrax is the first public health threat that my heroine, Dr. My novel “ Anthracis” is named after the bacteria causing Phil’s death, Bacillus anthracis. This blog focuses on the surprise anthrax ending, related to cattle highlighted in the movie’s first shot.įor a video version of this review on how Peter plotted to kill Phil with anthrax to protect his mother, see The film has multiple themes, including animals like the dog of the title. In “The Power of the Dog,” young Peter deliberately uses anthrax to infect Phil Burbank, the domineering cowboy who drives Peter’s mother Rose to drink after she marries Phil’s brother George. The first novel, “ Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery,” was published by Maya Maguire Media in 2021.

I’m also the author of an alphabetical mystery series on diseases from animals (zoonoses). SPOILER ALERT: THIS ARTICLE WILL PROVIDE ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE ENDING AND PLOT EVENTS THROUGHOUT.Īs a veterinary epidemiologist formerly with two state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I continue as a public health Professor at the University at Albany and the University of Vermont. This review will answer questions from the perspective of a scientist who has researched the movie punch line. The movie is well-regarded but the twist ending is provocative, leaving some viewers confused. Its twelve Academy Award (Oscar) nominations led Netflix to the top of the studio heap. “The Power of the Dog” won “Best Motion Picture” at the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, and Jane Campion was only the third woman to win as 'Best Director.' It is up for “Best Picture” by the Critics Choice Association.

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