Nobody else I know likes this movie. I’m not saying I know a statistically significant number of people, or that I’m intrinsically better than everybody else, but it is something of note. When I bring up how good I think Phantom Thread (2017) is, the first thing I hear is, “Why?” So here’s why:
The movie just looks gorgeous. The movie is about a dressmaker in 1950’s London, so of course all the dresses are great (I’ve seen enough seasons of Project Runway to know what I’m talking about). But it also finds its aesthetic in other ways. The camera tends to hold it’s shots throughout an entire monolog, following its focal point around or, when that point is stationary, slowly zooming in. This is especially impactful about halfway through, where not only does the camera’s zoom slowly center on the scene’s focus, it slowly cuts out another element.
It sounds great. I have nothing against The Shape of Water (or Dunkirk, for that matter), but I don’t remember any particular song or moment when the soundtrack stood out to me. This is opposed to the week or so I spent only listening to Phantom Thread’s. Every song is very good, but here’s House of Woodcock to give an example of what to expect on the sound front.
Being nominated for The Academy’s Best Actor award of some kind is kind of expected at this point for Daniel Day-Lewis (should that be “was expected?”), but special mention goes to Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps who are perhaps the most counter to Day-Lewis’ character and therefore must keep up with him for the entirety of the movie’s 130 minute runtime. They do their jobs admirably.
Last, but certainly not least, is the story. Like Paul Thomas Anderson’s other work with Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood, it’s more interested in its three leads and how they interact with each other. It’s the story of a battle for dominance, but they’re all related to each other so everybody has to keep up the niceties around other people. And when things finally come to a head…
Well, I don’t want to spoil the movie, now do I?
So yes, do watch it. It’s very very good.
-F
Next time on Raindrops on Roses: A game that could be a film (but shouldn’t?)
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