Phantom Thread - Review Thread

His last movie was Inherent Vice.

Phantom Thread(1/13/2018)

Paul Thomas Anderson is in an elite group of directors right now, the league of directors whose every movie seems like it will be a potential classic long before we’ve so much as seen a trailer for it. The qualifications for this tier of excellence are nebulous, almost based more on mystique than anything. It isn’t necessarily a matter of having a perfect track record, Anderson himself is actually coming off of something of a failure given that his last movie Inherent Vice proved to be more of a curiosity than a classic. It also doesn’t necessarily have to do with the quantity of great movies you have to your name. The Coen Brothers, for instance, have made more than enough amazing cinema to seemingly be in this club and yet I doubt even the most optimistic of Coen brothers fans to have been expecting Hail Caesar to have been any sort of classic for the ages. Really being in this tier is mostly a matter of seeming like the kind of filmmaker who does not mess around, someone who seems like he is swinging for the fences every time and who also has the stats to back up such cockiness. Mike Leigh, for example, has hardly made a single bad movie and yet I wouldn’t necessarily put him in this company for the simple fact that his movies are sneaky in their quality and aren’t necessarily the kinds of things you anticipate months ahead of time despite his track record. Scorsese is probably in this club, so is Tarantino, Malick was in the club before his quality control went out the window with his last couple of projects, Christopher Nolan is probably in this club despite sort of operating in more of a populist lane than some of these guys, Alfonso Cuaron probably would be in the club if he worked a bit more often. Of course being in this club has its downsides as it can create some very specific expectations that not every movie is designed to live up to and there are certainly high expectations for the newest Paul Thomas Anderson film Phantom Thread.

The film focuses in on Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), a world renowned dressmaker in London’s haute couture scene during the 1950s. The House of Woodcock is already at the height of its success as the film begins but Woodcock is aimless in his personal life and has just let an assistant go and is soon on the prowl for a new muse. Eventually he finds himself in a country diner and spots a waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps) and seems immediately smitten, but it’s not exactly clear what he wants from her. Soon she’s in his employ as a personal assistant and as a model for his dresses, but she’s also living in his house and is soon acting as his lover and muse. From here the movie largely becomes a mystery of sorts as to what exactly this mysterious man wants from Alma. This guy is a fashion designer and at one point uses the phrase “confirmed bachelor,” so the possibility that he may be a closeted homosexual is certainly going to be in the back of most audience members’ minds but the truth of what makes this guy tick is a lot more complicated than that.

The filmic reference point for Phantom Thread seems to be, of all things, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film Rebecca. That movie is generally not considered one of Hitchcock’s major efforts, in part because the Daphne du Maurier novel it’s based on is a bit higher brow than his usual fare and that sometimes overpowers his interest in suspense. At its heart Rebecca is something of a mystery, but it’s not a mystery about “whodunit” but more of a mystery as to what the intentions of its male lead’s intentions are. Like Rebecca this is a movie about a young woman of modest origins who suddenly finds herself courted by a much older and richer man who is sort of mysterious and aloof and it’s not clear if this is a true romance or if this is merely an older man trying to control and possess a younger woman. There are also shades of Mrs. Danvers in Leslie Manville’s role of Woodcock’s sister Cyril, who acts as something of a business partner and at times seems to have a bit more of an objective eye on Alma. There are, however clear differences between the two movies and the comparison between the two only really goes so far. Unlike the narrator in Rebecca Alma is never really seems to be living as much in the shadow of a former lover. There’s an element of mourning in Woodcock’s life but it isn’t as pervasive. The big twist from Rebecca also isn’t really here at all and the second half of the movie isn’t really all that analogous to Rebecca at all, so this is less an adaptation and more of a jumping off point that Anderson seems to have used to conceive of the movie.

That this movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis is of course itself an event, like Anderson he is someone who does not mess around. Day-Lewis’ work here is a bit more subdued than what we’ve come to expect from him recently as he is not doing a major physical transformation like he is in a movie like Lincoln and he isn’t going into the kind of grand theatrics we saw him doing in There Will Be Blood and Gangs of New York. Instead here he’s characterized by a generally gentle demeanor that often belies his more ruthless actions and his generally controlling personality. In some ways it almost feels like he’s holding himself back to leave some room for his co-stars, especially Vicky Krieps who is something of a revelation here. Krieps has been seen in small roles in movies like Hanna and A Most Wanted Man and has apparently starred in a variety of not overly notable European films but this is clearly her most prominent performance to date and she manages to be effectively mysterious throughout.

Throughout awards season I’ve been a little confused as to why Phantom Thread seems to get so many awards despite receiving such positive reviews. Now that I’ve seen it I kind of get what was going on. Phantom Thread is a movie that demands respect but repels simple acceptance. It’s a movie about the lives of two really messed up people and it’s not always easy to relate to either of them or really get a grip on their behavior. This is very much a film for the arthouse crowd and for people willing to take a deep dive into the weird dynamics of this strange relationship. There is certainly some interest in the procedural elements of watching this fashion house work but outside of that I don’t think this will have much appeal for the mainstream viewer. Even for the arthouse crowd the film may seem elusive. It’s a movie that intrigues you and leaves you looking for answers to questions the movie never really even asks. Honestly, I think I’m going to need to see this thing a few more times before I’m really going to be in a position to talk about it intelligently, but I certainly liked what I saw.

****1/2 out of Five

Though he has his detractors, I think it's safe to declare Paul Thomas Anderson one of the most vital and important filmmakers working today. The man has continuously made highly ambitious projects which feature top-notch technical craft, amazing performances, and rich themes. At his best, he's made some of the best films of the last twenty years and the fact that his worst movie since his debut is 2014's Inherent Vice, which is still an entertaining and well-acted curiosity, says a lot about the high level of quality Anderson has maintained. Of course, this type of legacy leaves big expectations for any new project, and Phantom Thread is now being released to the additional weight of being the last film before Daniel Day-Lewis is supposed to retire from acting. Given that the pair's last collaboration was the epic masterpiece There Will Be Blood, I think there is an expectation that Phantom Thread will be similarly grand. While I certainly think Phantom Thread is worthy of its pedigree, it's also a bit more peculiar than some might expect.

The film is set in the 1950s and follows Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis), a British fashion designer at the height of his popularity and artistic success. Early on, Reynolds retreats to the countryside where he meets a waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps). Reynolds is drawn to her immediately and soon Alma is living at the house of Woodcock, serving as Reynolds' muse and lover. Also living with the pair is Reynolds' sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), who runs the business side of things and has a very close relationship to her brother. The film mostly concerns itself at this point with watching the central relationship between Reynolds and Alma develop, as well as the effect it has on Reynolds' personal and professional life.

One of the pre-dominant fixations of Anderson's filmography are the power dynamics within relationships, with an emphasis on "master-disciple" dynamics. This really comes to the forefront with Phantom Thread, which essentially becomes a war of wills between two characters who become increasingly complex as the film goes on. Early on, the film openly riffs on Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, and it seems the case that Alma will be the potential victim at the hands of an older, richer man in the same vein as Joan Fontaine's Mrs. de Winter, but that isn't quite how things play out. Part of the film is a mystery where Alma (and we as an audience) learn more about Reynold's peculiarities and Alma learns to contend with him, but she is also way more proactive and powerful than her character type might suggest. The same is true for the performances. This may be Daniel Day-Lewis' final performance and he does typically amazing work, but Vicky Krieps more than holds her own. Krieps' work may be easy to under-appreciate in the film's early scenes, but it becomes increasingly clear how multi-faceted and interesting her character is. The character feels genuine and loving at points, but there's a quiet determination to Alma that becomes increasingly pronounced as the film goes on and Krieps brings this to the screen perfectly.

Like The Master, one of the great joys of the film is watching the two leads engage in intellectual and verbal sparring matches. Watching these two go at each other is consistently engaging and well-drawn, but the scenes where they come together are even more delicious. Both actors give amazing performances that are among the year's best. Rounding out the cast is Lesley Manville, who is excellent as Reynolds' sister whose motivations are mysterious. Manville can cut to the core of a scene and take power away from others in the room with the slightest look.

Hitchcock's Rebecca has been mentioned already, and indeed I suspect Anderson is deliberately riffing on Hitchcock, particularly in terms of theme. Voyeurism, obsession, and male weakness are all prominently on-display in Phantom Thread. What's more, certain details of the plot seem analogous to Hitchcock. This is a film about a British artist who is seen as the best within his field and is driven by psychological hang-ups largely built around a mother complex. Hell, the dude's name ends in "cock" and is in a romantic relationship with a woman named Alma who has clear creative input on his art. Anderson pretty effortlessly folds thse themes into his own typical interests and brings them to what is a fascinating conclusion. I dare not spoil the ending, but I will say that I loved what the film is building to and what it might say about these two and relationships in general is no doubt going to be the subject of endless debate and analysis.

Phantom Thread has no credited cinematographer, with the work being taken out by Anderson and his camera team. The results are quite simply stunning. The sweeping camera movements are not only impressive, but they also capture the beauty inherent to Woodcock's trade. The film is also wonderfully lit and for as impressive as the cinematography is, it's never unnecessary showy. The glue however might just be Jonny Greenwood's score, which is another homerun for the musician. The score is largely built on piano and sounds elegant and respectful, but there's a sinister undercurrent to the music which perfectly matches the source material.

I almost feel boring coming out of the newest Paul Thomas Anderson movie calling it one of the best films of the year, but I calls em like I see em. While it lacks the bold scope of There Will Be Blood or The Master, it's a remarkably assured film which is endlessly engaging and ripe with thematic material to digest. It's got a reserved pace and is a minimalist work in many ways, but each piece is placed nearly perfectly. I'm not sure how well this will play to mainstream audiences, but the film does work as simply a well-told story and I think any audience who goes in with an open mind will find a lot to enjoy. I've seen a lot of movies from 2017 which I loved, but I don't know if anything surprised me quite the way this did.

A+