

Phantom Thread (2017)
Few films were better critically received in the 2010s than Paul Thomas Andersonโs ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ. But before I reveal my reservations about this critical darling, (simultaneously surrendering what little authority I have gained over the last couple months) it should be noted that few people anticipated PTAโs 8th feature with as much eagerness as I.โฃ
As a general rule, PTA films both warrant and reward second viewings, but Iโve now seen ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ four times, and after each screening Iโve asked myself the same question: ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐โ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ? โฃ

๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ is the story of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), a persnickety, high-end 1950s London dressmaker, who discovers his new muse in a country BnB: a fumbling, swan-necked waitress named Alma. Woodcock is difficult in every regard and we learn from an earlier interaction that he has a history of disposing of his muses with indiscreet indifference. But when the flame of Almaโs inspiration begins to flicker, unlike her predecessors, she assumes responsibility for her own fate, and in turn, the fate of their twisted romance.โฃ

โฃI will end the summarising there, as from here the plot seems to develop entirely in a subtextual realm, through a series of glances and glares, which is a feat on its own, but speaks volume of the film’s obsession with inaction. โฃ

It should be said that the craftsmanship on display here is undeniable. The world of 50s London dressmaking feels fastidiously researched and equally well realised; and the Oscar-winning costume alone should be enough to keep the fashionistas in their seats. But itโs Johnny Greenwoodโs (Radiohead) score which is the supreme element, so spot-on that it reveals everything the film intends on being: hauntingly romantic, devilishly acerbic and harrowingly poignant.โฃ

The links drawn between Woodcock and Count Dracula inseverable, as everything from the dress, manner and enigma of this โcertified bachelorโ seems absurdly vampiric; yet while I enjoy the gothic themes, along with the folkloric superstition and fairytale undertones, these are all aspects which feel like nothing more than meaningless hat-tilts which are of little contribution to the story. โฃ

Paul Thomas Anderson has a history of pulling off the most unorthodox romances, whether that be Barry and Lena from ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ, or Freddie and Lancaster from ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ (both of which I praise without restraint), but the incompatibility of Reynolds and Alma consistently seems too much of a stretch. It becomes increasingly difficult to believe in the endurance of this relationship: I canโt believe the headstrong Alma resigning herself to a life subservience, regardless of the genius Woodcock possesses. โฃ

My primary issue with the film is that once we establish and unpack the twisted nature of this romance- which, granted, feels wholly original- does the film really go beyond being a detailed portrait of a peculiar power dynamic? I donโt think so. It builds upon it by repeating itself.โฃ

โฃThe end result is a film which leaves too much of its storytelling in the hands of its score, and too cutely avoids any tangible drama. โฃ
โฃ
Gives me no pleasure, but back to the basics please Paul.โฃ
โฃ