Phantom Thread Movie Review

Phantom Thread (2017)

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Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville
Rated: R
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Plot
Reynolds Woodcock, a famous dressmaker in 1950's London, has his life disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.

Verdict
Daniel Day-Lewis is always impressive. He alone would make this worth it, but we get a fantastic character study about a couple in an abusive relationship that are also artist and muse. It's a power struggle that evolves all the way to the end as I tried to figure out how it works and why this couple stays together.
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Review

The story is loosely modeled on the British fashion designer Charles James who was prominent in the '50s.

Day-Lewis is impressive, able to inhabit completely other people. He studied and made a dress for this role. This is supposedly his last role before retirement.

We quickly learn that Reynolds is controlling. It's subtle in the first few scenes, but quickly becomes apparent. After a fashion show he goes to a diner and asks to keep the breakfast order, wondering if the waitress, Alma, can remember his order. He later asks her out and on the date he tells her to remove her makeup.

I wondered why Alma stayed with Reynolds. It's not an easy relationship. In his life, as with his dresses, he likes to control every detail. Did the good outweigh the bad, did she like the prestige of being with someone famous, or was it just easier to endure his verbal abuse? It seems that qualities that make him a renowned dressmaker cause him to be a terrible person. Reynolds is a baby, as Alma points out. His sister enables the behavior. Just the act of Alma buttering toast in the mornings is too much for Reynolds to endure. It's too loud.

This is a very well made movie with a lot of subtext. That's the standard for PTA's movies. The camera work is amazing too.

Alma craves his attention, the attention he gave when they first met. She takes drastic measures to get his attention. This is an abusive relationship on both sides. This is a couple that shouldn't be together. I recall the Winston Churchill story where a lady tells him if she were married to Winston, she would poison him. Churchill tells her if she was his spouse, he'd drink it.

Their relationship has this back and forth power struggle. Reynolds becomes mean and dismissive, and Alma then finds a way to put him in his place. Does he like a challenger to his dominance? Neither of them want to leave. It's this relationship that is so fascinating.