Phantom Thread film review: ‘extremely intricate’
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, like the clothing at the center of its story, is an extremely intricate work. There is a delicacy to the placement of each detail in set design, costume design, camera placement, etc., to the point that each of these things acts as a major character in the story, speaking of emotion more so even than the main characters at times.
Of course, speaking of all of this first is at a disservice to the actors of the piece. Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville each give performances worthy of acclaim as the primary players of the piece: (respectively) a prominent and arrogant English fashion designer of the 1950s, the mysterious and clever woman he falls in love with, and his bluntly business-minded sister. The three of them work off of each other with the grace and directness of dancers in a series of events that constantly reveals more about and changes the nature of the characters. Each has a relationship with the others, the dynamics of which ebb, flow, and change to the tune of the film’s sweeping, symphonic score by Jonny Greenwood. Sometimes this is subtle, sometimes it’s not, but it’s always fascinating.
I don’t want to speak too much on the plot, at risk of ruining some surprises, but the film is mainly about the central romance between Lewis’ character Reynolds Woodcock and Krieps’ Alma. It’s a sometimes dark and intimate look at the idea of a male artist and his muse, but there is a much more thoughtful approach taken than a certain other film of 2017 that dealt with such issues. Vicky Krieps and her character more than hold their own against Lewis and his, and there are both redeeming and damning qualities to both. There are lies, betrayals, and manipulations between the two, but there is also what may be real love. Anderson develops the characters in a way that seems to allow audiences to decide for themselves whether the characters are good or bad for each other, and utilizes a sense of humor that is somewhat uncommon when discussing the subject of a potentially toxic relationship. In a sense, this film is the strangest romantic comedy I’ve ever experienced.
The film is certainly not for everyone, but I suggest you make up your own mind as you watch an alternating romantic, humorous, claustrophobic, and oddly sexual story about a fashion designer and his girl from the countryside become a story about a girl from the countryside and her fashion designer.
