Phantom Thread

There is no doubt in my mind this is the best piece of cinema made in the modern era, and I have a hard time seeing anything passing it for me personally. It's the most meticulously crafted, sophisticated and tender film I've ever seen. It's mind-blowing that Paul Thomas Anderson not only wrote and directed this, he was also the cinematographer, and the result is some of the most beautiful shots in all of cinema. The screenplay is also phenomenal and it has some of my favourite dialogue put to screen. The power struggle and dynamic in the relationship between Alma and Reynolds is the core of the film, and the film wouldn't work nearly as well if it weren't for Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps characterisation, and the chemistry between them. The performances are incredible, and especially Alma's micro-expressions through-out the film are some of the best and subtle acting I've seen. Every scene between Alma and Reynolds is so private and tender, it feels like the viewer isn't supposed to be there, and to them only each other exists for that moment and nothing else matters. Their relationship is so complex and layered, nothing like I've seen before. They can be so cruel and controlling, but also so loving and compassionate. The nuggets of information we get about Woodcock's upbringing and his relationship with his mother is so important to his nature and the film's narrative. The score Jonny Greenwood composed for this is probably one of the greatest ever composed in my opinion, it's just so incredibly beautiful and elevates every single scene to a new level. It's my favourite ending of all-time only behind Amadeus and I'm just in awe of the brilliance of it. The score, the visuals, the narration from Alma and the climax is perfect on every level. Phantom Thread is the most soothing and visually astounding film I've ever seen, and I could watch it a hundred times over and still find new details I didn't catch before, and appreciate it even more. PTA ranked Favourite films