Phantom Thread: Film Review

I love Paul Thomas Anderson‘s movies so I was excited to see Phantom Thread anyway, but that ramped up after I witnessed some of the shoot in London. It achieved astounding reviews from critics after its release and I finally understood why when I caught it at the cinema this week.

Renowned British fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) discovers his new muse Alma (Vicky Krieps) when she serves him breakfast at his hotel. They fall in love, she moves to London to live with him and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) and begins to learn the trade. Woodcock is very particular and stubborn but Alma won’t stand for his behaviour and she soon disrupts his structured life.

This is a blanket statement for everything Day-Lewis has ever done, but he is incredible and deserves his Oscar nomination. The slightest thing can throw Reynolds off his game and he probably has some mental health issues. He can always be relied upon for an excellent performance though, so it was newcomer Krieps that had more of an impact for me. She is also brilliant and should have got more awards recognition herself. Their epic argument at a surprise dinner is proof of that. Manville is also incredible as the no-nonsense sister who doesn’t take any of Reynolds’ crap.

The film is much funnier than I expected it to be and the script is sharp and witty with some brilliantly cutting pieces of dialogue. It also gets deliciously dark towards the end. The film also looks gorgeous, containing some exquisite dresses, and the score is beautiful.

Excellent movie. Highly recommend.

In cinemas now