This is going to be short because I’ve just done a double shift on my eighth working day in a row and I am to put it politely pooped.
I did not get The Phantom Thread. I feel like it was trying to tell me a story but I’m not entirely sure what it was. I suppose this is a love story a particular, short tempered older dress designer falls in love with a (I’m assuming) German waitress. A younger girl falling for an older man is nothing new in a film, but this is just a little weird.
There is nothing here that endears me to either character, honestly I spent most of the film wanting to punch Daniel Day Lewis in the face, which just goes to show how great his acting is, most of the time I really quite like Daniel Day Lewis. Alma just constantly irritated me yes she displayed a little backbone but really a better ending would have been her going off and living her life without him. I guess it shows just how insane and twisted love is.
It cannot be denied that the dresses and design are exquisite, it is a beautiful sight watching all the ladies twirl in these elegant creations. The filming is crisp, all smooth clean lines. I guess you can see the great filmmaking here but there is no heart, nothing to connect to, nothing that made me feel anything other than “well this is bizarre!” By far my least favourite of all the nominees, it’s not a film I’ll be watching again.
Scattered Thoughts 