Phantom Thread has much in common with Call Me By Your Name in that both are slow burners about opposites who attract which draw the viewer in through charged silences and cryptic wordplay. The difference, though, is that the glacial pace and ennui of the former reduces its colour to a cold monochrome ‒ what the fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) calls “an air of quiet death” ‒ whereas the distance between the characters in the latter and their will-they-won’t-they reticence quickens the pulse and stirs the emotions.

“So,” as Reynolds’ stern-faced sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) asks, “what’s all this moaning about?” Moaning being the operative word, since for long periods of time the strained relationship between Reynolds and his waitress-turned-model wife Alma (Vicky Krieps) threatens to drag both the pace and the mood down to a listless standstill. One that is salvaged by Day-Lewis’s meticulous performance which has earned the film one of six Oscar nominations including Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, Best Supporting Actress for Manville and Best Score for Radiohead’s lead guitarist and keyboardist Jonny Greenwood.

The patience and attention with which Reynolds approaches his work is what is threatened by the arrival of his muse whom he refers to as “I feel I’ve been looking for you for a very long time”. Her perfect shape making her the perfect model for his perfect dresses; in return, making her “feel just right” and her “dreams come true”. The problem, though, is that her lust for life disturbs his routine which when he is in it “is best not shaken”. But shake it she does, turning his quiet breakfast into a riot of noise which he likens to a horse being ridden across the room.

The question posed by writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson then is: how can one love an artist, “the most demanding man”, whose first love will always be his art? Should Alma wait until Reynolds falls in love with her again? Should she stick it out until he tells her to “f**k off” as he does to a wealthy client’s private doctor? Should she jump before she is pushed? Or should she take matters into her own hands to regain his attention? Either way, a plan is stitched which much like the film is intricate in design but cold to the touch.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
Stars: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville
Peter Callaghan
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