Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread is Daniel Day-Lewis's last film according to him. I truly hope he's talking shite because his retirement, while good for him, will be bad for us. The man is a master of his craft. He'll be missed and cinema will be a poorer place without him. And of course his final performance is so good that it can only leave us wanting more. 

Reynolds Woodcock is a dressmaker in 1950's London. He's a coddled, spoiled, egotistical man who'll go through you for a shortcut. The only person he respects is his 'old so and so' sister Cyril who's domineering presence keeps him in check. While on a country break he meets a quiet French waitress who has a body that matches his clothes designs perfectly. She's not as fragile as he thinks though.

This was fantastic. Yes, i know the story of a post war dressmaker sounds like hard work but it really is stunning stuff. It's the kind of slow moving tale that gets under your skin without you even realising it. The social mores and the sexual politics of the day keep characters quiet and tightly wound and create the kind of simmering tension that will keep you glued to the cinema screen. And when tempers finally explode you'll realise words can be as bad as any type of violence. It's a film that's hard to talk about without spoilers but let's just say love is odd and compromise is key.

Daniel Day-Lewis is astounding. A coiled ball of tension who can only let loose when he's in his car or when he's trying to talk down to a woman. He's created a magnificent bastard. An obsessive, awkward manchild. A character you want to hate but you can't. He's magnetic and you can understand why people are drawn to him. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's films are populated with angry egotistical men and this is could be his best creation yet. Awards talk is all about DDL but Lesley Manville as his sister Cyril and Vicky Krieps as Alma are fantastic too. Manville is a clipped and seemingly cold matriarchal figure but you can just about sense some warmth under the surface as the film goes on and she's totally believable as the only person to hold sway over Reynolds. Vicky Krieps more than holds her own against Daniel Day. She's stunning, saying more with a sad and knowing look in her eyes than so many others could with a thousand words. Two food based scenes between them crackle with electricity. Btw, food is a big thing in this film. Make sure you eat before hand because despite what you see onscreen you'll leave the cinema strangely hungry.

This is PTA's 8th movie and Inherent Vice aside he just keeps getting better. Seriously he's hitting Hitchcock levels of sublime (Keep an eye out for a Mrs Danvers influence in this btw), this is a film that's up there with any of the Master's psychological dramas. A slight sprinkling of profanity aside it could easily have been made in the time period where it's set. It has a gorgeously timeless feel to it.

Daniel, we'll miss you. What a way to go out though. A serious swansong. And his final film has given us another gift, Vicky Krieps, a star in the making. Hopefully we'll see more of her. Maybe Paul Thomas Anderson might give her her own leading role someday? Here's hoping.