Well, this movie certainly was....something. Paul Thomas Anderson's latest and Daniel Day-Lewis's (supposedly) last-est film is beautiful to the eyes and ears, but (as per usual with PTA) an uncomfortable and cold ride to a truly surprising end.
Set in 1950s London, Phantom Thread follows one Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis), a highly regarded designer of women's dresses who is called upon by stars and royalty to fashion them beautiful (and often extremely constraining) dresses for balls, weddings, Christenings, etc.
Woodcock lives and works in a posh, multistory town home in London with his sister and secretary/business partner Cyril (Lesley Manville). Both Cyril and Reynolds are middle-aged and unmarried, focusing solely on Reynold's work as the anchor point for both of their lives. However, Reynolds has the occasional girlfriend he uses and then discards when he gets bored or annoyed by her. He feels cursed to never marry, although that curse is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy given his extreme arrogance, fussiness, and nearly sociopathic emotional distance.
The Woodock siblings also have a home in the countryside which they visit often, and on one of his trips out there, Reynolds finds himself captivated by a young, fresh-faced waitress, Alma (Vicky Krieps). He immediately asks her to have dinner with him and on their first date he takes her home...to take her measurements. It seems that Reynolds has not only found a new girlfriend, but a muse, model, and employee all in one. The way he dispassionately measures Alma's body, remarking "you have no breasts" in an even tone, shows that his interest in her is more aesthetic than sexual. She, like everything else, exists only to inspire and further his work.
But once Alma moves into the Woodcock home, she and Reynolds begin a bizarre courtship dance. Her habits (such as buttering her toast too loudly at breakfast) annoy him and he makes that clear to her...but instead of backing down, she ignores his annoyance and just does her thing. She pokes through his fussy ice princess personality, making him laugh and rage in equal measure. She takes note of the times after he has completed a huge project and becomes emotionally drained for a few days, remarking to a friend that he is "tender and open"--even willing to snuggle (!!??!!) with her--during these periods.I read a review of this film that called it "kinky". Considering that I planned to see it with my parents, I was a little nervous. Would there be spanking? Choking? Bondage? Nope. The Phantom Thread has so little sex, an adjective to describe it could be "asexual". But it is, in fact, "kinky" nonetheless. The psychological warfare between Alma and Reynolds is the essence of a Dom/sub relationship...and while in most cases he is the clear Dominant, Alma finds a sneaky way to get him to fully submit and surrender to her--no fur-lined handcuffs needed.
The three leads excellent. Daniel Day-Lewis. This fucking guy. Has he ever done a poor acting job? He's willing to go into the dark depths of the soul for absolutely despicable characters (see his previous collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson in the brutal There Will Be Blood). While Reynolds is hardly a monster, he is an absolute pain in the ass--he's pedantic, he hates fun, he's a workaholic--and Day-Lewis goes "vanity free" as they say in bringing this asshole to life.
Vicky Krieps is a prolific European actress and virtual unknown in the United States. She plays Alma as an observant, quiet, yet very strong-willed woman. I had trouble understanding what she saw in Reynolds, but perhaps she liked the idea of poking through the defenses of such an emotionally removed man. Alma knows that she has power over Reynolds that no other woman--including Cyril--has. And that intrigues her and gives her life meaning. And that's kind of sexist, but, you know...it's the 1950s. What ya gonna do?
And Lesley Manville is wonderful as Cyril, the steady rock to Reynold's tempest-like personality. They are bound together in an overly close brother-sister bond and when Alma starts messing with that dynamic, Cyril is not happy.
The cinematography is not just beautiful, it's fetishistic in its focus on fabric, needles, haute coture, and female faces and bodies. And the musical score (by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, a frequent collaborator of Anderson's) is sweeping and epic, but also creepy and intimate.
Phantom Thread is a gorgeous, meticulously crafted film. It's also very slow with, to be honest, not much reward. I mentioning the surprising ending, but it's not exactly a shocking twist. It's more of a realization that makes you guy "Huh. Ok then."
Phantom Thread is an objet d'art that feels as cool, clean, and composed as a museum. It's a very good movie and one I probably won't watch again.
Grade: B+
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