Sunday, December 31, 2017

6. Phantom Thread


One of my all time favorite director is Paul Thomas Anderson. With Phantom Thread, Anderson has crafted one of his best-looking works to date, this new film is truly amazing and sophisticated. The fashion-centric period dram and second collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis, following the exquisite 2007's There Will Be Blood.  It's also apparently Day-Lewis' last film as he has announced his retirement.

Day-Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock, a fussy A-list dressmaker in 1950sin London who wears his public face well outfitting princesses and debutantes but is kind of a disaster with his personal life. He has a string of girlfriends but none seem to take, as he keeps them at arm’s length in terms of actual commitment.

On a trip to the country, Woodcock locks eyes with a clumsy young waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps). He's smitten by the time he’s finished ordering breakfast and they had a date that’s at first affectionate but turns confusing once his newest muse moves into his townhouse and he uses her as a model. But Woodcock begins to be annoyed by her presence.
As Phantom Thread flits between complicated character piece and unusually funny romantic comedy, the movie becomes much more about Alma. It’s an acceptable though not exceptional goodbye and one hopes, even somewhat selfishly, for Day-Lewis to stitch together a more memorable final bow someday.

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