Phantom Thread
Has Paul Thomas Anderson made a bad film? No, he’s one of the greatest directors and writers of this generation and maybe of all time. What is surprising, however, is how he’s managed to make so many “masterpieces”. I put that word in quotes because PTA’s films are somewhat flawed. They don’t always hit the mark of perfection, but that’s what I love about his style and direction.
Each of his films seems to isolate and obsess over a few aspects of filmmaking. There Will Be Blood is the greatest character study ever done, Magnolia is an emotional and structural gamble that shouldn’t work but does, The Master is a tense, psychological drama, and One Battle After Another is a thematic study of ideology and cycles of violence. PTA’s Phantom Thread becomes his most surgical and tonally distinct film. A study of power, control, and obsession. It’s elegant, like the making of a dress, but beneath the surface is a perverse, dark story of two romantic interests.
One of those movies, like a lot of PTA’s work, where it’s worth watching a second time. Daniel Day Lewis is hands down one of the greatest actors of all time and he has an amazing performance here. The nice thing about PTA is you could make an argument for half of his filmography to be his best work, this one being no exception. Not my favorite, but undeniably good.