Review of Phantom Thread (2017) by Tcurran2 — 20 Jan 2018

If Phantom Thread's only purpose was to serve as Daniel Day-Lewis's swan song, that'd be more than enough to justify its existence. Luckily, Phantom Thread manages to be much more than that. Shot with spherical lenses, Paul Thomas Anderson's film hearkens back to an era of film-making of decades past.

The muted color scheme manages to draw attention to itself, though not in a gratuitous manner. It goes without saying that the film's set design and costuming is breathtakingly beautiful. That is not to say however, that Phantom Thread serves as a mere technical spectacle alone.

The composition of each frame is so meticulously designed, that is starts to burrow into one's mind far after the credits roll. Day-Lewis delivers a performance for the ages, in a role that would be a lifetime achievement in acting excellence for any other actor.

The role is Reynolds Woodcock, an enigmatic fashion designer whose intense attention to detail is matched only by his austere nature. Having a Freudian obsession with his deceased mother, the perennial bachelor meets Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress at a hotel he dines at early in the film, whom he takes in as a model to pose for his dresses (The dresses themselves have an odd sort of aesthetic functionality to them.

They elevate the wearer in a mental sense, giving them a regal authority in the way they carry themselves). Alma's presence is both welcome to the distant designer, and an intrusion of his work process.

However, to simply summarize the film's plot points would do it a great disservice. Johnny Greenwood's continuing collaboration with Anderson has yet again proven fruitful. With its haunting strings, and melodic piano tones, the score is deeply immersive, and enriching.

Day-Lewis doesn't take on characters, he hurtles himself at them, inhabiting their every idiosyncrasy to ludicrous detail. Anderson lets the camera roll, and Day-Lewis takes over. One imagines that Day-Lewis will be hoisting up that golden trophy come March, but it'd be an all too paltry of a recognition, given the work he's done here.