Phantom Thread (2017)

A film tailored specifically to my tastes.
To be Alma is to serve as the liberator for a selfish, egocentric artist—a man consumed by an obsessive need for control. One had to cut through that Gordian knot of Oedipal tension. 🙄 Her role is to charm and awaken him, to strip away the facade, break open the cage of decadence, clear out the stale air of the tomb, and breathe life back into him, even if that life is reclaimed through a taste of death itself.

As someone previously noted regarding Eros and Thanatos, Alma held both in her hands and wielded them with devilish skill. She is a mistress without precedent.

It has been quite some time since I have watched such a superb romance.

I savored every minute and every detail, which were, thank God, as abundant as the intricate lace on a royal wedding gown.

Nicole Thomas3 said:Hands down, *The Master* is Anderson’s absolute best. Seriously. And if you look back at those Oscar categories now, just remind yourself what a complete joke the Best Picture nominees actually were.

The Oscars lost their credibility a long time ago.

An intriguing perspective:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cu...ic-masculinity

hiddenhound3 said:An intriguing perspective:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cu...ic-masculinity

Pure MeToo movement propaganda.
Doesn't it strike you as a bit of a pamphlet?

I don't know, I personally didn't get the impression that the film endorses the inherent genius of masculinity, though I certainly saw plenty of other things in there. 😁

This is totally off base—honestly, it's beneath a writer of Hemon's caliber 👎

Quote: Personal as it may be, the film is about a male genius so supreme that it can choose even when and how to be weakened in the presence of a woman, who, in exchange for monogamy, is ever willing to serve it. Anderson dazzled critics into believing that they’re not reproducing power but affirming the art of the personal. Wrapped up in that fancy art-house aesthetic, the movie basically serves as a massive endorsement for the "natural" brilliance of men. "Phantom Thread" is straight-up patriarchal propaganda, plain and simple.

Yeah. A lot more of it would've felt anti-patriarchal if we're being honest, but hey, everyone’s free to interpret things however they want... 🤷 ☕

Hemon has been embarrassing himself for years now. Nothing new here.

Exactly. What we’re seeing here is this constant, shifting interplay between these deeply intertwined layers of masculinity and femininity. It’s a dynamic where the man is just as much a woman as she is a man, yet they both manage to honor their own distinct natures—if we really want to get pedantic about it—to achieve their own specific brand of genius. In his case, that brilliance manifests through tactile, manual craftsmanship, whereas hers feels more ethereal, rooted in the intellectual and the spiritual.

I don't know, sometimes I get the impression that the most misogynistic people out there are actually the ones who go out of their way to champion women's rights. Take Hemon, for example. 🙂 To be honest, I’m just talking under my breath here.

I find myself agreeing with a certain portion of this analysis, yet I feel the final segment of the film—where the narrative pivot occurs—has been somewhat overlooked. To my mind, that turning point represents a true equalization of power, achieved specifically through her act of violence against him via the poison.

To be perfectly honest, I must admit this film continues to haunt me; I still struggle to fully grasp the nature of his relationship with his sister. What I did find particularly compelling about this review, however, was the observation regarding that insatiable hunger that seems to permeate the entire story.

In fact, has anyone else noticed the sheer abundance of the meals he orders at the very tavern where Alma works, considering how thin he actually is? 🤷 So much of the action unfolds within the confines of the kitchen and dining room. I am convinced this is far from accidental, and I am currently attempting to decipher why food and the dining table are granted such profound significance throughout the film.

That "review" is nothing but pure clickbait. Even he doesn't believe a word of what he's writing.

hiddenhound3 said:I find myself agreeing with a certain portion of this analysis, yet I feel the final segment of the film—where the narrative pivot occurs—has been somewhat overlooked. To my mind, that turning point represents a true equalization of power, achieved specifically through her act of violence against him via the poison.

To be perfectly honest, I must admit this film continues to haunt me; I still struggle to fully grasp the nature of his relationship with his sister. What I did find particularly compelling about this review, however, was the observation regarding that insatiable hunger that seems to permeate the entire story.

In fact, has anyone else noticed the sheer abundance of the meals he orders at the very tavern where Alma works, considering how thin he actually is? 🤷 So much of the action unfolds within the confines of the kitchen and dining room. I am convinced this is far from accidental, and I am currently attempting to decipher why food and the dining table are granted such profound significance throughout the film.

Oh, and don't forget, he absolutely loves her curves! 😍 😁

hiddenhound3 said:I find myself agreeing with a certain portion of this analysis, yet I feel the final segment of the film—where the narrative pivot occurs—has been somewhat overlooked. To my mind, that turning point represents a true equalization of power, achieved specifically through her act of violence against him via the poison.

To be perfectly honest, I must admit this film continues to haunt me; I still struggle to fully grasp the nature of his relationship with his sister. What I did find particularly compelling about this review, however, was the observation regarding that insatiable hunger that seems to permeate the entire story.

In fact, has anyone else noticed the sheer abundance of the meals he orders at the very tavern where Alma works, considering how thin he actually is? 🤷 So much of the action unfolds within the confines of the kitchen and dining room. I am convinced this is far from accidental, and I am currently attempting to decipher why food and the dining table are granted such profound significance throughout the film.

This is a great review; there's a lot of interesting stuff said about the food.

And as for this guy—in his attempt to go full Americanized, he completely loses his Alma.

Jamie Davis9 said:Oh, and don't forget, he absolutely loves her curves! 😍 😁

It isn't just about her physical appearance; his sister practically had to point out how much he's obsessed with her, which essentially makes the sister the third wheel in this entire relationship. To me, his psyche feels entirely incestuous, or perhaps he simply feels incomplete without her presence. There is a fatalistic bond tying them together. Throughout the film, I was left with the distinct impression that he only truly loves Alma when she acts like a doll—silent, motionless, and devoid of any independent will or effort.

hiddenhound3 said:It isn't just about her physical appearance; his sister practically had to point out how much he's obsessed with her, which essentially makes the sister the third wheel in this entire relationship. To me, his psyche feels entirely incestuous, or perhaps he simply feels incomplete without her presence. There is a fatalistic bond tying them together. Throughout the film, I was left with the distinct impression that he only truly loves Alma when she acts like a doll—silent, motionless, and devoid of any independent will or effort.

Look, we're talking about a man who spends his life tailoring women's dresses.
The sister functions as a sort of proxy for the mother, though I didn't catch any actual sexual undertones there.
He’s clearly comfortable playing the part of his late mother's sterile, perfectionist little boy, using her memory as the ultimate blueprint for every other woman he encounters.
Ultimately, the mother represents his only true connection to femininity. 😁
His repressed urge to break free from all that rigid perfectionism shows up in one tiny detail—his attraction to a certain "imperfect" female figure—but he's far too foolishly guarded to ever admit it.
He’s trapped by his own neuroses, and the sister acts as nothing more than a lingering extension of his mother.
She’s the only one who truly understands his baggage, and she hands him off to a woman who isn't threatened by any single facet of his complicated personality.
🤷

hiddenhound3 said:I find myself agreeing with a certain portion of this analysis, yet I feel the final segment of the film—where the narrative pivot occurs—has been somewhat overlooked. To my mind, that turning point represents a true equalization of power, achieved specifically through her act of violence against him via the poison.

To be perfectly honest, I must admit this film continues to haunt me; I still struggle to fully grasp the nature of his relationship with his sister. What I did find particularly compelling about this review, however, was the observation regarding that insatiable hunger that seems to permeate the entire story.

In fact, has anyone else noticed the sheer abundance of the meals he orders at the very tavern where Alma works, considering how thin he actually is? 🤷 So much of the action unfolds within the confines of the kitchen and dining room. I am convinced this is far from accidental, and I am currently attempting to decipher why food and the dining table are granted such profound significance throughout the film.

Nurturing is maternal. That massive meal at the diner is, if I recall correctly, the only truly abundant feast we see in the whole movie. He noticed her when he was playing the part of the simple country boy during his ritual getaway—that time when he lets his guard down and treats himself to sausages for breakfast instead of the usual oatmeal. She fell for that version of him, not the uptight, control freak who has no appetite. His breakdown comes later because he lacks those moments of release in the countryside; he needs it because he is completely obsessed.

I have one grievance with the film: the soundtrack during that alcoholic woman's wedding scenes. It’s some kind of nervous, plucking string music that feels forced. It works for tense scenes, sure, but because that uninspired plucking just drones on through the entire segment, it became exhausting and distracting for me. Strange. Otherwise, a fantastic soundtrack.