Review of Phantom Thread (2017) by Matt D — 06 Jan 2018

'Phantom Thread' is a great big, beautiful ode to the kind of relationships that should really never work but end up being strangely perfect for the parties involved.

Paul Thomas Anderson gives us a sort of opposites attract story without falling prey to the usual modes of depicting how two people are different and traditionally wrong for each other. Reynolds and Alma push each other's buttons by constantly pushing each other out of their respective comfort zone and it is delightful to watch even when the pushing borders on cruelty.

I also adore how Anderson decides to make this film less about the sexual passion of love and more about the emotional and personality driven aspects of a relationship. We see that they've clearly been intimate but the film is frankly trying to say more about their perceived lack of compatibility than merely "they push each other because it leads to great sex." We've seen that before and while it may be true for some people this is far more interesting and something I hope to think about further with additional viewings.

I luckily got to see this in stunning 70mm and on top of everything mentioned above it was a visual treat I won't soon forget.