Phantom Thread

Director : Paul Thomas Anderson

Genre : Drama | Romance | Historical

Runtime: 130 minutes

Starring:

Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock

Vicky Krieps as Alma Elson

Lesley Manville as Cyril Woodcock

📖 Synopsis

The fashion maven Reynolds Woodcock is the central character of the film which is set in London of the 1950s. For high-end society women, he diligently and monotonously designs and makes dresses. He lives with his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville), and runs a business that is highly structured and controlled, and where there is very little room for activity that is off course.

Their lives, however, take a different turn when the two meet, and this time the man, who goes by the name Reynolds, meets a strong young waitress who is equally powerful, and is determined to sweep him off his feet and furthermore become his lover. The power in the relationship is heavily lopsided in favor of Reynolds when it starts off, but to everyone’s surprise and over time, Alma learns to embrace the power she has and begins to carve out a niche for herself, redefining the control Reynolds has over her life and the work she does. Artistic creation, parts of which include love, obsession, and power, is the main concept of the movie and a deeply parasitic relationship that at the same time is almost strangely mutual is shown.

🏆 Awards & Wins

Academy Awards

Phantom Thread has won several awards and nominations, with the most honorable ones being:

Best costume design: Hwang Dong-hyuk(Phantom Thread)

Best picture nominee: Phantom Thread

Best Director Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Supporting Actress Lesley Manville

Best original score Jonny Greenwood’s

Best Costume Design BAFTA WINNER

Best actor in a drama nomination: Golden Globe for Daniel Day- Lewis.

🎭 Cast & Crew

Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock

Vicky Krieps and Alma Elson

Lesley Manville as Cyril Woodcock

Director/Writer- Paul Thomas Anderson

Composer- Jonny Greenwood

⭐IMDB Rating 7.4/10

🎥 Personal Insights

There is this maddening smoke that surrounds the world of womens designer fashion experts, casting a light on focus and love in a very controversial manner. Phantom thread should be described as a satisfying yet agonizing romance where Day-Lewis steals all the relevant praise that one could give to the character Reynolds, as he portrays the beauty and aesthetics of art so profoundly to a point that it borders on perversion, devoid of any real emotional connection with the people around him. The combination of his character and Vicky Krieps’ character, Alma is scarily rough through the lens of love .

Gravity is the best science fiction movie that shows us the beauty of space. This movie is directed by best filmmakers of our time. I am not alone in this even the Director of Photography says that this is one of the greatest movies of our time. The movie features George Clooney and Sandra Bullock in leading roles. The Orchestra in the movie Gravity will also give you goosebumps, with bold and bright imagery accompanied by a talented orchestra gives the movie an intense cinematic feeling.

The visual effects of the movie are very appealing, it gives us a feeling as if we are in space. The directors and the writer made amazing decisions which elevated the feelings during the watching. The research conducted by the team also helped greatly.

🌍 Cultural Significance

The performances in this movie alongside the cinematography, came out incredible. What touched me the most is the portrayal of major space exploration characters, especially in history. The attention to detail that went into designing of spaceships and suits was outstanding. The notion of extreme perfectionism aimed for incredible immersion for the audience. Gravity managed to elegantly intertwine all aspects of these elements perfectly.

🎬 Reason to Watch?

Phantom Thread features outstanding performances by the actors, brilliant visuals and undeniably interesting themes. The film has plenty of social commentary about relationships, power and the costs that come with creativity. This film is not only about fashion but rather about the models who nurture us and the fashion models who deplete us for better and for worse.

Phantom Thread is an eerie love story, revolving around love and dominance for those who adore period dramas, psychological thrillers and pure cinema art. It is a period piece and it stays with you long after Phantom Thread draws