Archetypal View: Power of the Dog

Jan 16

Power of the Dog: A Study of the Wounded Lover Archetype

This is part of an ongoing series that views contemporary films through the lens of archetypal psychology and the King, Warrior, Magician, Lover model of the masculine psyche as defined by the late Jungian analyst Robert L. Moore in his book of that name. It’s an attempt by me to refresh that work by presenting more current and diverse examples of the archetypes than what are given in that excellent but somewhat outdated book.

• • •

As a bisexual who grew up in a male-dominated, homophobic blue collar town, The Power of the Dog touched me on a deeply personal level. At the centre of the film is antihero Phil Burbank, a rough and callous ranch-owner in 1920s Montana, brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

When the effeminate young son of widow Rose shows up at the ranch, we start to see that Phil’s tough macho persona is actually a defensive armor to hide his homosexuality.

We learn that there’s more to Phil’s reverence for his dead mentor Bronco Henry than meets the eye, and when seen archetypally we recognize aspects of the Wounded Lover and Shadow Warrior in his violent and cruel behavior.

Outwardly, he expresses the Lover through the almost mythic stories he tells about Bronco Henry, the lovingly crafted alter to him out in the barn, and through his considerable musicianship.

But like many gay men in repressive or hostile environments, he only feels safe to fully let his Lover out in secret. At a pivotal moment, we follow him as he retreats to his Lover space, a hidden clearing out in the woods by a river — the only place where he can freely express his sexuality.

The Lover’s space is usually depicted mythically as a Garden of Delights, and Phil defends his by drawing on fierce Warrior aggression.

It’s meaningful that his first move when arriving is to strip himself bare and bathe in the river and mud — water and earth being primal elements of the feminine. It’s as if he’s cleansing himself of all the toxic masculinity he uses as protection out in the world so that he can free his Lover to play.

When Phil takes young Peter under his wing, I was reminded of the gay men in my life who helped me overcome a lot of the shame and toxic residue from my rough upbringing.

The Lover in its fullness is all about “play and display” — something that gay men know all about, as well as the need to protect the Lover space with some fierce Warrior energy in a hostile environment.

This beautiful and heartbreaking film offers a realistic but rare alternative viewpoint that is desperately needed in a culture that still holds onto outdated ideas of “what it means to be a man”.