Phantom Thread

I don’t know what I expected from Phantom Thread, but the film left me feeling cheated on the way out of the theatre. Daniel Day Lewis is … incredible, but I’m not sure at what or why. The movie is the story of a dress designer whose life is consumed with his art; he meets a server in a diner, moves her into his life, and then the film continues. She poisons him with mushrooms once to get his attention, then nurses him back to health. When he fails to need her the way she needs him, she poisons him again – and he laughs and feels revitalized by her actions.

I left the theatre wondering why someone made this film. I thought it was going to be about someone sewing hidden messages into clothing, messages that were, perhaps, vital to the security of a nation, but that’s not what the film was about. The audience is privy to only two messages, neither of which is of any importance, so even the title of the film is iffy.

It was dollar day at the movies, so I saved some money on the ticket; had I paid full price, I would have wanted my ticket refunded.