Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread

A gorgeous film with brilliant acting and directing that slowly unfolds itself into a fascinating study of toxic relationships, and the many different forms they can take while still consuming the same two people.

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my very favorite filmmakers, and in some ways this is Paul Thomas Anderson's least Paul Thomas Andersonian film (there is no ensemble, it is almost entirely focused on two people; there is no violence or nudity, and hardly any language; it takes place in London instead of California, etc.), but it is still undoubtedly his work. It has the same underpinning darkness, anger and intensity, shifting power dynamics, strong characters, and well-defined world that are common in all of his films. The cinematography, pacing, and intimacy of both the world and characters specifically reflect that of The Master, as opposed to his earlier more fast-paced films, the tender nature of Punch-Drunk Love, the epic scope of There Will Be Blood, or the total incomprehensibility of Inherent Vice. It's definitely a unique addition to his oeuvre.

(I won't go into spoilers, but as the trailers suggest, this is a dark romance film. I'm not sure it's a spoiler to say the film goes in dark directions and there's power dynamic shifts, but it would be hard to have a Paul Thomas Anderson movie where this didn't happen. I'm not going to get into specifics, but I will say, as I just said, that things do take a dark turn.)

Daniel Day-Lewis says this is his last film, and if so, this is a really interesting note to go out on. This is by no means a complete transformation like that of Daniel Plainview or Abraham Lincoln, it's very clearly Day-Lewis on screen. He's by no means a hero or a villain, he's simply a perfectionist who, as the term would suggest, gets very frustrated when things aren't perfect. This can sometimes make him relatable and even funny, but also caustic and cruel. While is technically a romance, both he and Vicky Krieps are unhappy with each other and are constantly trying to manipulate the other into being who they want. He's not a monster like Plainview, but he's certainly inconsiderate, and Day-Lewis plays that angle very well.

This is my first time ever seeing Vicky Krieps, and boy does she stand her own against Day-Lewis. It's by no means an acting competition, but since these characters are manipulating each other, Krieps does have to find her own way of being effected by, and occasionally standing up to, Day-Lewis in their scenes together. Her character is meek and polite while Day-Lewis is used to being in control, so she begins as the audience surrogate, but eventually finds her own ways of trying to change him that are initially innocent, but then get into something much darker and stranger.

I love how each act is able to have a complete tonal shift while still feeling seamlessly consistent, like not noticing the steadily rising temperature of water until it's boiling. This is largely because of the world and the characters that Anderson presents. The film is able to take as much time as it wants in telling its story because there is so much to look at and think about after almost every scene. It's engaging purely through the power of both the filmmaking and the themes that it presents. It doesn't need any gimmicks, it's able to take unexpected turns without them ever feeling like "twists" that cheaply try to trick the audience, instead it's just smartly written.

I would absolutely recommend this film. It's not my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film, but I would absolutely want to visit this world again. The pacing is very deliberate and it covers a toxic relationship in a very real way, so as long as you're into that, you'll have a great time.