Daniel Day-Lewis bids goodbye to Hollywood with one of his best performances in this Paul Thomas Anderson movie.
Movie: Phantom Thread
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genre: Drama
Duration: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
Critic's Ratings: ****1/2
Story:
In 1950's Great Britain lived a genius at work, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis). He loved the dresses he created like they are his babies. His creations need him to live with discipline, a routine that's bathed in silence, free of distractions, meant to birth something that makes House of Woodcock a place to revere and free of post-war depression on the English island. His empire, rooted in a hothouse, is maintained with an almost iron grip by his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville). Everything changes in the "confirmed bachelor"s life when he meets his muse Alma (Vicky Krieps), a girl conscious about her body, yet showing signs of destructive competitiveness. Here unfolds a story about love, jealousy, gamesmanship. It's an exhilarating, often claustrophobic experience to find out who will blink first in this three-way staring contest between Reynolds, Cyril, and Alma.
Review:
Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance worthy of bidding goodbye to his film career. His Reynolds is aware of his genius. He knows he emotionally invades people, takes all he can and shuts them out right after. This comes across as the stark contrast to his vulnerability when he is done bringing his imagination to life. He needs to be built back up again.
He is a selfish, controlling man with otherworldly talent. Day-Lewis shows many of these layers at the same time with the help of those 'stiff-upper-lip' British dialogues, staring above his glasses, changing his hunched posture by a fraction of a millimetre. He has played a 'difficult artist' in Nine before. But in Phantom Thread, it feels like it might have come from being one in real life (speculating here).
Lesley Manville as Cyril is an acting powerhouse in herself. Her Iron Lady vibes don't leave her vicinity even when she is comforting her brother or when she tells him to not bung it up with Alma because she has come to like her.
Vicky Krieps as Alma has something about her. She is the muse, chosen to be kept perfect. But she is easily forgettable to him when standing in the crowd. She waits, adjusts for him, gets jealous when his work takes priority, but then helps him put that same work above else. The tug-of-war of emotions between her and Reynolds is simply exquisite. Krieps is wonderful in the role.
What puts Phantom Thread as one of the front-runners in all these awards is the drama director Paul Thomas Anderson creates by just putting these three characters in a house, having them try to win their relationships. The scenes in which these characters are restricted in a room, forced to talk about their situation, seem like they are only arguing, but the foreshadowing in the scene is a chaste work.
Anderson seems to have served as cinematographer as well for the movie. Some frame reminds one of Hitchcock's shots, especially in the final few scenes.
Mark Bridges' costumes and Jonny Greenwood's music serve as two other important characters. All those beautiful dresses and fabric spread around by Bridges, carry all the secrets of the lead trio in a society that cares about the approval from the genius behind House of Woodcock not where the inspiration is coming from. Beautiful piano pieces mixed with just one retro-ish song on Greenwood's soundtrack only adds to the melodrama, expectations, and the vulnerability of the story.
It's a story of intrigue and tension in a relationship, and it will leave you wondering how far will you go for love.
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