Phantom Thread – Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which he wrote and directed, displays his visual acuity and precise sense of place, time, and 
character. He mixes in metaphors and allegory to play with his art form and tease the audience, much like the secret messages Daniel Day-Lewis’s, London couture dressmaker, Reynolds Woodcock sews into his one-of-kind garments. Woodcock is driven by his talent, ego, and daily fixed routines, like a three-legged stool. When the balance of any one of the three is disturbed, he topples. The story takes place in the 1950s in all it’s buttoned-up reserve and posing. The status quo is upset when a new muse, Alma, a waitress in a country inn, played by Vicky Krieps enters his life. The third figure in this triangle is Reynolds’s sister and business partner, Cyril performed by Lesley Manville. All three people are strong-willed and exert their power overtly and covertly, much like practiced chess players. The film stitches together a thematic tapestry: A love story, a portrait of an artist, and a game of wills. The artistry displayed is both Daniel Day-Lewis in what is purported to be his final film performance and Paul Thomas Anderson’s screenplay and direction. Anderson’s filmography includes some of my favorite films, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood and Inherent Vice. Though I’ve always found the score and music choices to be a character in themselves, I was not a fan of the score by Jonny Greenwood, which in this filmgoer’s opinion was upstaging at times competing with the visuals for attention. I did enjoy the visuals: The luxurious fabrics and settings, the food and sounds at the dining table, and the impending intrigue that builds as the story unfolds. It’s both a romance and a skirmish with scissors and knives. It’s not my favorite film this year, yet I recommend it for its original storytelling (kudos to Anderson) and Day-Lewis’s mesmerizing performance.
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