Phantom Thread
"Whatever you do, do it carefully"
In 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned couturier whose days revolve around fabric, fit, and ritual. He assembles a life that runs like a tailored suit, neat and demanding. When Alma, a sharp, independent waitress, enters his world as his new muse, the balance tips. Their relationship... Read more
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About Phantom Thread
In 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned couturier whose days revolve around fabric, fit, and ritual. He assembles a life that runs like a tailored suit, neat and demanding. When Alma, a sharp, independent waitress, enters his world as his new muse, the balance tips. Their relationship tightens into a delicate interplay of power, desire, and craft, where devotion can sharpen or cut. Behind Woodcock's impeccable public persona lie stubborn fears and a fierce need for control, while Alma tests those boundaries with quiet wit and stubborn resilience. As the atelier glitters with gowns and corsages, their bond reshapes not just a wardrobe but the very shape of his artistry. The atmosphere crackles with tension and refined elegance.
Released in 2017, Phantom Thread was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Though not adapted from a specific book, it presents an original screenplay that laces fashion and psychology into a restrained drama about obsession and artistry and craft.
Phantom Thread received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, with lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis and supporting actress Lesley Manville among the performers eyed for top honors. The film won Best Costume Design for its intricate era garments. Its craft was widely recognized for precision and restraint.
Phantom Thread is often praised for its precise period wardrobe and the way it foregrounds craft as a form of storytelling. It sparked discussions on desire, control, and the relationship between artist and muse in modern cinema. Its fashion aesthetic influenced designers and film students, cementing a lasting visual signature.
Critics broadly praised the film for its restrained mood, meticulous craftsmanship, and contagious tension between love and power. It explores themes of obsession, independence, and the cost of artistic genius, while remaining a stylish psychological drama rather than a conventional romance. It rewards patience, nuance, and interpretation, resisting easy answers.
What Viewers Are Saying
Audiences describe Phantom Thread as a meticulously staged dive into Reynolds Woodcock's fashion world, with Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps delivering quiet, precise performances that keep the tension alive through every seam and veto. It plays out as a slow burn about control and intimacy, set in a 1950s London studio where dressmaking and romance collide, and Alma pushes back on Woodcock's rigid routines as he guards his environment. Some viewers find the pace stifling or the mood chilly, while others ride the atmosphere and the shifting power dynamic to a quiet, unsettling payoff.
Details
- Release Date
- December 25, 2017
- Runtime
- 2h 10m
- Rating
- R
- User Ratings
- 3,695 votes
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- Country
- United States
- Studio
- Focus Features +4 more
- Budget
- $35,000,000
- Box Office
- $47,756,590
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Official Trailer
Cast
Daniel Day-Lewis
Reynolds Woodcock
Vicky Krieps
Alma Elson
Lesley Manville
Cyril Woodcock
Camilla Rutherford
Johanna
Gina McKee
Countess Henrietta Harding
Brian Gleeson
Dr. Robert Hardy
Harriet Sansom Harris
Barbara Rose
Lujza Richter
Princess Mona Braganza
Julia Davis
Lady Baltimore
Julie Vollono
London Housekeeper
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by: Daniel Day-Lewis
