Phantom Thread are shadows of married couples

Phantom Thread is a delicate and crude film at the same time, as it deals with the execution of art, from the artisan weft to the final result, which, in the case of the film, are dream dresses that go beyond materiality, bringing secret messages and auguries literally filled in.

His character Reynolds Woodcock is woven asymmetrically between an absurdly cordial and delicate perfectionist and an explosive, self-centered, and authoritarian personality.

Between one affair and another, where the choice seems to focus less on passion and more on the aesthetics of the woman who accompanies him as a model, the couturier is assisted by his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville, high performance). She protects him from any external distractions, fixes his mistakes, dismisses his occasional companions, and keeps him protected in his predictable world.

During one of his trips to the countryside, Reynolds allows Alma (Vicky Krieps) to enter his life. Alma, the Latin word for soul, is a waitress who animates that being so controlling and so controlled quickly becomes her muse, model, and, surprisingly, the great love of his life.

When asked why he never married, Reynolds replies to Alma, "I make dresses," and recognizes himself as an incurable bachelor.

When she goes to live in the house where the sewing studio also works, the girl soon realizes the symbiotic relationship between the brothers, and the romance seems doomed to the failure that has always characterized Reynolds' relations.

When she is harassed by him, in a loving situation engendered by her, Alma knows that if she remains submissive, she must leave the house.

To change the situation, she tries a solution that reveals a dark face that we will later discover is common to both. Or a metaphor to all conjugal relationships?

Director Paul Anderson Thomas, who also does cinematography, seems to want to scan the characters' intimacy through close-ups that always show a peace that does not exist.

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