Phantom Thread

Had to take a 2 hour train journey to see this film and I think it paid off. Phantom Thread is a glorious film to add to the Paul Thomas Anderson collection with charming performances from both Daniel Day Lewis and Vicky Krieps as the two leads. The story is told with such splendour that every shot from the film is exquisite, making the film even more delightful as it goes on (and apparently there was no DP hired which is crazy). The film did lose me a bit towards the end due to it’s lengthy run-time and simple story but Johnny Greenwood’s score pulled me back into 1950’s London. The last 10 minutes were outstanding in rounding out the story of Reynolds and Alma, which only solidifies Daniel Day Lewis as possibly one of the greatest actors on screen.

_Phantom Thread_ is an exquisite jazz soliloquy that you adore not for what's in it, but for how it makes you feel. It is a masterly crafted suit that makes you feel like a better person the moment it envelopes you. The writing is seamless, the cinematography stylish and the soundtrack, my god, Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack is tailor-made to this film. The music in _Phantom Thread_ has a more important role and performs it better than most human actors in lesser films. Speaking of performances, Daniel Day Lewis's swan song appearance is a high note in his career and, while not particularly a stretch for him, it's certainly as elegant and captivating as a Christian Dior corset. The only flaw in this latest piece in the string of Anderson's successes is the length, for like an imperfectly cut wedding dress, _Phantom Thread_ drags a little towards the end, though not enough to tear us away from its elegance.