MOVIE REVIEW: Phantom Thread

Daniel Day Lewis stars in what he says is his final film role, with Paul Thomas Anderson behind the camera, where he plays Reynolds Woodcock a high-class fashion designer who is unable to maintain personal relationships.Â When one relationship fails he goes to his country house, and there finds a waitress who intrigues him, and they begin what could be a destined to failure love story.

Mr. Lewis has on previous occasions told us all that he’s done with acting and will not be in any other films.Â Then some script that crosses his path lures him back to the screen.Â You cannot fail to be inspired by his attention to detail and commitment to a role.Â He’ll live in a desert if that is what it takes or go and design clothes for years before starting to film.Â The one thing you can say for sure about him is that he’ll never half ass the film that he’s part of, we’re never going to see him star in something like How to Lose a Guy in 10 days.Â But it’s funny that just before this film trailer came out he announced his retirement from the industry.Â If it’s true I wish him well.Â A very big IF!

Here he plays the fashion designer in the 1950’s called Reynolds, who lives in the same house where his business is run out of.Â He’s a man who is methodical in his approach to life, and who has some massive relationship issues that probably stem from his late Mother, and when his opening relationship in the film fails he runs away to the country home.Â When he visits a hotel while in the country to get breakfast he meets a waitress and is immediately smitten.Â Alma is a Belgian who is awkward but he sees someone who can model for him and maybe occupy his time.Â Their relationship blossoms quickly and Alma moves to his house, which he shares with his long-suffering Sister.

Lewis has this subtle quiet performance that is just outstanding, this is not as powerful as some of his other work, but there is something more watchable about Phantom Thread than other Paul Thomas Anderson films.Â It’s that subtleness rather than a knockout punch performance that leads me to think there is one more run on the death star for him.Â Joining him as Alma is Vicky Krieps and this performer has an amazing ability to bring light and shade within the same moments and then when things change near the end of the film Krieps just blows everyone else out-of-the-way.Â With Lesley Manville playing Daniels sister it’s a steady role and without this character in the film there wouldn’t be much to bring to the table.

Paul Thomas Anderson, if I’m honest, and this is just my opinion, is usually too pretentious to enjoy, I didn’t enjoy The Master and find most of his other work overly complicated and wouldn’t watch many of his films a second time.Â Phantom Thread script and shooting is just about as perfect and high drama get and I would really love to see this again with the old lady who shares my house.Â Names escape me at the moment.Â The film isn’t perfect by any means and there are many scenes I wish were shorter or even cut altogether.

Phantom Thread is not going to be the cup of tea for everyone out there.Â I’d have to convince my friends that it’s a prequel to The Phantom Menace, and with my friends that won’t be hard, they drink a lot.Â I would have a lot of explaining to do once they sobered up which I can’t deal with.Â This is high drama that is gentle but intelligent, if you like PTA and Daniel it’s right up your alley.Â If you like really good drama that leaks into psychological torment then this is also something that you’ve got to watch.

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