The Movie: Phantom Thread
The Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
The Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Brian Gleeson
The Story: Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
The Review:
To be honest, I wasn't very interested in watching this movie. This type of Oscar bait nonsense can bore me to death with it's emphasis on high art and "look how profound we are" attitude.
To be fair, there was a lot that I enjoyed, or at least appreciated about this movie, but that's not to say that I actually liked it. There were a couple moments that got my hopes up that it was turning into a spooky paranormal piece or an intense psychological thriller, but neither of those things happened which added to the disappointment. I had a thought about half way in that this was basically Darren Aronofsky's Mother but without all the insanity. Coincidentally, Brian Gleeson is in both movies so there's that.
What I liked specifically about the movie was the camera work and sound design. The imagery was at times stunning to look at and the color selection for each scene was very well thought out. The way the director moved his camera through the house really let your brain take in all of the textures and patterns and personality. I also loved how everything in the old houses and buildings sounded. How closing a door made a very particular sound that reverberated through a room or how footsteps thumped and echoed while travelling up a flight of stairs.
The Verdict:
Technically, Phantom Thread is quite brilliant and the acting was top notch across the board. The story was just dull and the ending was just weird and unexpected but not in a good way. I suppose there will be people who say I just didn't get it. I really don't care.
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