Phantom Thread

Today I saw Phantom Thread, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps.

Your enjoyment of this film will depend primarily on the lens in which you choose to view the main character, Reynolds (Day-Lewis), a celebrated dressmaker in 1950s London.

One path leads you to a creative genius who is the opposite of eccentric, favoring everything in very specific (perhaps obsessive compulsive) ways. His emotional palette must be clear to begin his morning work; his space must be free from distractions—and if all demands are met, peace remains and politeness ensues.

Another view of Reynolds shows you a narcissistic, paranoid control freak who must maintain a specific decorum to command the respect he feels he's due. Abusive, hypersensitive and passive aggressive, he's attracted to women only for what he can use them for, whether that be modeling, sewing, cooking, serving or sex.

You choose.

Alma (Krieps) is taken by his charm and gets quickly caught up in the glamour of his craft. She's young, but she's also a lot smarter than he (and his imposing live-in sister) gives her credit for. Though appreciative of his talents she can't be bothered with his rules (like not buttering her bread so loudly) and soon devises a most clever way of making him appreciate her. I felt like cheering when she first put her plan into place.

Like all Paul Thomas Anderson films, the score is itself a character, but here I appreciated it more than felt it a nuisance. The pomp and circumstance associated with high fashion in some way warrants it, or even invites it.

Of course the main reason to see the film, unless you're a sucker for claustrophobic tension, is Day-Lewis, who claims this is his last big screen performance. I hope to God he's bluffing, but if he isn't, it's safe to say (as usual) he gave it his "all" and offered complexities to the character that I'm confident no other human being on earth could achieve.

But no, on the whole I didn't really like the film.

Maybe it's the present social climate for women that's to blame, but to be held hostage for over two hours by the whims of a high maintenance brat who happens to be good at his job while a clever, attractive woman adjusts every ounce of her life to accommodate or manipulate his just isn't pleasurable.

And the dresses weren't my style.

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Brooklyn

Tonight I saw Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen.

Ailish (Ronan) is a girl who feels she doesn't have a future in Ireland. With the help of her sister and the church, she gets a Visa to work in America and sets sail on the long, lonely journey.

Once she arrives in Brooklyn, New York, she doesn't immediately fit in—she's too shy at the department store where she works, she's too innocent to be part of the girls' club in her boarding house, and she's too plain to get noticed by any Irish fellows.

After a devastating spell of homesickness, a kind priest enrolls her in night school and she begins to come out of her shell, attending the local dances. It's there she meets Tony (Cohen), an Italian plumber with eyes only for her.

They fall in love easily and enjoy the bliss of mutual infatuation until tragedy strikes back in Ireland and Ailish is forced to choose between her life in the U.S. and home in County Wexford.

As someone obsessed with Irish culture, I perhaps had expectations that were too high for this film. I thought we'd see more of Ireland, get to know Ailish's family a bit better and learn why she was so set on making a new life across the pond. Instead, after the initial scenes, we only catch glimpses of her former life and become quite attached to her new one.

Though the acting is superb all around, I can't say I felt much pain for any of the characters. Though sad and bad things do happen, when we arrive at them we're still just observers; not invested.

I was pleased with the ending, so that's something to applaud, and the story undoubtedly mirrors many true-life situations of that era and those cultures. Go see it if you're in the mood for something simple, wrapped up in a nice bow.

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