Will a Montana Movie Win Best Picture at This Year’s Oscars?

We are in the middle of awards season, when tons of high-profile movies all get released around the same time in an attempt to gain attention for the Oscars. This month alone has seen or will see movies like West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, Don't Look Up, The Lost Daughter, The Tragedy of Macbeth, and more... but there's one movie that keeps getting brought up in the conversation that looks like it could be a frontrunner.

That movie would be The Power of the Dog, the latest film from director Jane Campion - it's about a rancher in Montana during the 1920s whose life adjusts after his partner makes a major change to his lifestyle (I know that's vague, but to say any more might be considered a spoiler).

Is The Power of the Dog Going To Win Best Picture?

It's obviously too early to say for sure, but the outlook is good for The Power of the Dog to take it - it's been winding up on almost every major critic's top 10 list, it's been cited as one of the year's best films by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and it represents the return of a major filmmaking voice in director Campion, whose last movie was 12 years ago.

It would also be a historical win, since The Power of the Dog is a Netflix original film - if it won, it would make it the first time a streaming service's original movie took the top prize at the Oscars. (Though Netflix has come close in the past with major contenders like Roma and The Irishman.)

Now The Power of the Dog was actually filmed in New Zealand, not Montana - but its Montana connections are strong. Star Benedict Cumberbatch spent a good deal of time in Montana learning the ropes of being a rancher, and the Missoulian recently published a good profile putting the spotlight on the Montanans who assisted with the production.

Think The Power of the Dog could go all the way at the Oscars this year? If you're looking to catch up, it's available to watch on Netflix right now.