Review of Phantom Thread (2017) by Joshua S — 09 Feb 2018

Not everyone is sold on the idea that legendary actor Daniel Day Lewis is entering a permanent retirement. While one can debate on how temporary such a sojourn would be, we can take a look at his last film, Phantom Thread.

Directed by the masterful Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread follows the story of an eccentric and disturbed elite dressmaker in posh 1950's London. He enters into a romantic, chaste, and tumultuous relationship with a former waitress.

..and weird things happen. Daniel Day Lewis commits in the way we are accustomed - disappearing into the role and convincing the audience that the odd setting and subject matter is more interesting than they would usually find.

Lesley Manville has gotten some notice as the cold, business-like sister and she certainly deserves it. But Vicky Krieps is a bit underrated here - a mostly unknown European actress, relatively new to the business, holding her own on camera with Daniel Day Lewis for most of the movie.

..holy crap we are going to have look out for her. Phantom Thread is the glacially-paced barn burner you'd come to expect from this team and the still but sumptuous photography reflects this. The much talked about twist isn't quite the Hitchcock-esque twist it has been sold as, but it's still a bit disturbing.

Thread doesn't compare to Anderson's best, such as There Will Be Blood or even the criminally underrated The Master, but it's still an enjoyable watch.