Phantom Thread

Genre: Romance/Drama/Horror
Rating: 15
Warnings: Abusive Relationships

Despite presenting itself as a romance film, the creepy man and the abusive relationships he maintains with everyone around him make this far more like a realistic horror film than anything else.

​From the first scene, Reynolds Woodcock is cruel and creepy, and he never displays any qualities of a romantic lead. If it wasn't for the fact that his and Alma's relationship is the only plot focus, the supposed genre would be impossible to guess.

Daniel Day-Lewis does do an amazing job portraying a believable and generally unlikeable character, and Vicky Krieps plays the wearing down and twisted response beautifully.

Alma, picked up as a clumsy waiter and turned into a model and girlfriend, ignores danger sign from the first date. The foreshadowing of the poisonous mushrooms is so obvious it's painful, and the awful behaviour of Reynolds had me saying "kill him!" out loud on multiple occasions. The lack of consquences that any character faces for their abuse of each other is frustrating.

Reynolds treats everyone around him like garbage and Alma especially. The times that she is gaslit, dismissed and treated like a stranger increase, even as their relationship strengthens. A glimmer of romance is dangled in the New Years party, but instead of his character having growth or redemption, Reynolds drags Alma away like a naughty child. Kill him, I urged. But no, lackluster plot and horrifying romance prevailed, and she seeks to make him fall in love with her. Unsatisfyingly, we sort of stumble to an end.

Feeling very unfinished, we are told that he is okay with her Munchausen's plan and also they somehow live happily ever after. Forgotten is the rivalry with Reynold's sister, forgotten the chance of death, and forgotten the fact that his good behaviour post-poisoning was far from permanant. A barely-romanticised abusive relationship and an abrupt ending, and I wonder how this film got all the accolades it did.