Lindsey Lowson / 21 April 2025 / Categories: Movie and TV Shows, Movie

The Phantom Thread Delivers Unexpected Love Triangle Twist

Not sure what just happened

The phantom thread was a weird movie starring Daniel Day Lewis as 1950’s London couturier Reynolds Woodstock and his muse and later wife Alma played by Vicky Kriep.

I watched it yesterday, I thought it was interesting and well acted but knew if I didn’t write my review today I’d have completely forgotten what happened in a few days. Like I said it’s a weird movie.

The story centres around Daniel Day Lewis and his uptight, moody, portrayal of a narcissistic fashion designer with an Oedipus complex, madly in love with his dead mother, and controlled by his silent but deadly overbearing in the worst controlling way sinister sister Sybil expertly played by Lesley Manville.

And then underwhelming too tall, not pretty enough, Alma Elson who Reynolds meets while dining in a tea house where she is the waitress.

Initially charmed by her he invites her to his studio to try on some dresses and subsequently she completes the love triangle between Reynolds and his work, becoming model, minder, then mistress and later wife but through an unsuspected twist. Her charm and idiosyncratic ways initially appealing to Reynolds become tiresome and irksome over time when his peace and order is interrupted by a crunch of toast or a slurp of tea at breakfast.

Alma is a misunderstood character who also narrates the film throughout, we don’t discover to whom she is speaking until the end of the film.

Did I like it yes.

Would I watch it again, no.

Who’s the audience. I’d say women definitely. It’s about an imaginary British fashion house set in London in 1950s when the “new look” is made on the rise and “chic” is only word from Paris on everyone’s lips. Day Lewis is superb as usual and very easy on the eye for fans of the actor.

It’s a deep dive into relationships, sibling rivalry and internalising pain, Reynolds never really overcoming the death of his mother and his constant strive for perfection in his work whilst growing irritated and impatient of the high society clients and royalty who keep the lights on.

A Phantom Thread, a terrible title that doesn’t tell you anything about the film, perhaps why it ended up under the film radar for me.

I was really shocked when I saw it got 6 Oscar nominations in 2018 at the 90th academy awards including Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, Best actor for Lewis and best supporting actress for Manville. The film took one for best costumes, beaten out by Guillermo del Toro and his move Shape of Water which incidently I haven’t seen.

Not sure how rotten tomatoes rated this film. I’d give it a solid 6 and that is because Lesley Manville and Daniel Day Lewis are such excellent actors.