There’s no way for me to talk about Phantom Thread without discussing the plot, so [SPOILER ALERT] for anyone who wants to see this film.
I fail to see the reverence other critics and movie watchers give Paul Thomas Anderson. I see what everyone else does: his attention to detail, ability to write interesting characters, using sounds and music to help build and escalate a scene. However, I find Anderson gets the most benefit of audience projection into his movies, because they are so interesting. Phantom Thread will be another movie in the Anderson canon: I really want people to tell me why they are placing this movie as the best movie of the year, cause I don’t see anything other than a really interesting character study.
It’s the 1950s in London, and Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is the famous dressmaker of the era. He runs his business with his sister Cyril (Leslie Manville). After breaking up with his most recent girlfriend, Reynolds takes a trip to the country where he meets Alma (Vicky Krieps). The two are instantly attracted to each other, and casually start romancing one another. However, when it gets to the business of falling in love, each person’s idiosyncrasies, especially Woodcock’s, threaten to halt the courtship at all turns.
Phantom Thread feels like an art prank from writer director Paul Thomas Anderson. The movie looks beautiful: each dress gets more and more stunning (though I’m the worst judge of this). The countryside and London culture are rich with people and nature that pop. The soundtrack gives the movie a very dream like state making the courtship seem magical, and the sound design helps drive home some of the biggest laughs of the movie, when the three leads sit silently at a breakfast table just eating but their knives, plates, and bread make hilariously loud noises, like one of the great SNL sketches of all time. But here’s what bothers me: the story MAKES NO SENSE!!!!! Here’s the Alma/Woodcock first date: Woodcock watches Alma eat and forcibly removes her makeup. Then he begins the courtship….by asking about her mother, asking if Alma looks like her, and then spending the rest of the evening talking about how much he misses his dead mother. Ummm…WHAT????? Then for the foreplay: Woodcock has her disrobe….to create a dress for her, and openly talks about her measurements which clearly is uncomfortable for his date. Anderson writes this away by saying Alma hates how she looks in voiceover: amateur move, dude, sorry. Symbolism is one of the big reasons audiences project meaning to Paul Thomas Anderson movies, late in the film, a beautiful frittata gets made…with poisoned mushrooms to keep a loved one sick. First of all, the other loved one reacts in a way that makes zero effing sense, but deeper than that, what is Anderson saying? At the heart of every good relationship is poison? Bury secrets deep and cover them with window dressing to make it feel better? It’s maddening, but in a way that sticks in your head and you can’t get it out, an art prank. Maybe the theme of Phantom Thread is Anderson saying to his critics what one of his characters says (in the running for line of the year): are you done complaining? Because you’re hurting my ears.
Also helping the window dressing is the three leads. Daniel Day-Lewis is great as ever here. Taking this dumb story and making it seem important by the way he delivers lines and carries himself. There’s a reason this guy is the greatest actor of his generation, all on display here. Vicky Krieps is an unknown to American audiences, but she’s very good here, working with silences to great effect. Leslie Manville though, is the winner for me. The stare she gets to give in Phantom Thread would burn through any person, it’s so terrifying I laughed a lot to break the tension. In addition, when she does speak, her words carry a heavier weight (the hurting my ears comment was spoken by Manville).
Phantom Thread will appear on many Top 10 lists this year. It will not appear on mine, because I think other movies are more important. However, this WOULD appear and definitely be in the top 5 most interesting films I see, like every PTA film. Sorry though Mr. Anderson, you’re runner up this year. What to you ask? I’ll give you a hint: Norman Bates would be excited to see it…