Phantom Thread (2017)

The critic calls it a divine, poetically scripted melodrama that examines the artist’s vulnerability and emotional upheaval in an intimate portrait, especially fitting as a potential swan song for Day-Lewis.

Day-Lewis delivers a magnificent performance as the fastidious designer Reynolds Woodcock, retiring in style, while newcomer Vicky Krieps is perfectly cast in a twisted Hitchcockian romance full of suspense from everyday details. The critic praises the strong supporting work, sumptuous score and design, calling it a cinematic treat.

The critic lauds the film’s exploration of obsession and power shifts in the romance, noting the sophisticated script, strong performances, and the director’s fun handling of the characters’ battle of wills.

The critic finds the film an exquisite, tastefully crafted intimate love story that masks a perverse and moving relationship study beneath its mannered elegance. He singles out the strong performances, especially Daniel Day-Lewis and newcomer Vicky Krieps, and Anderson's refined formal control.

The critic hails Daniel Day-Lewis's sublime swansong performance as a fragile, neurotic perfectionist couturier and calls the film a profoundly engaging psychological examination of mutual dependency and power shifts in a warped love affair. He singles out the film's atmospheric visuals, unsaid details, and rich emotional layers for praise.

The critic describes the film as a classical melodrama and chamber piece about a toxic family triangle in 1950s couture, praising its opulent yet intimate execution, nuanced performances (especially the understated Day-Lewis, terrifying Manville, and mischievous Krieps), and masterful unraveling of the artist's mystique.

The critic calls it a riveting '50s romance that is a screwball comedy in disguise, an absorbing period piece seemingly focused on a successful man's obsessions but really about his opposite. He praises Anderson for crafting a twisted yet compelling dynamic between the characters.

The critic celebrates the film's spellbinding details, exquisite performances—especially Vicky Krieps as a triumphant muse—and its subversive take on artistic obsession and domestic power. It is hailed as a lush, darkly comic homage to romantic melodramas with Anderson's signature intensity.

Anderson crafts a classic of obsession and strange love with dynamite leads, as Day-Lewis retires in style and Krieps is revelatory in a nuanced, subverted character study of a fastidious designer and his muse. The critic singles out the complex duet, tonal balance of cruelty and comedy, and singular lines echoing Bergman and Hitchcock for praise.

Anderson shifts to gothic romance in 1950s London with a chamber-piece focus on an unconventional relationship, where Day-Lewis gives a worthy final performance as a petulant man-child and Krieps shines as the stronger partner who gradually takes emotional control. The critic highlights the black comedy, perverse twists, and fresh setting suiting the director.

The critic praises the film's refined austerity and its exploration of the equilibrium artists require, arriving at a place of qualified peace that resolves the emotional wounds running through Anderson's cinema. He singles out the subtle power dynamics and Alma's role in providing Reynolds what he needs through a mix of control and perversity.

The review highlights the film's expert craftsmanship and Day-Lewis's obsessive performance but finds it cloistral and sickly, leaving the critic craving fresh air amid its tense power struggles. It notes the perverse yet engrossing dynamic between the designer and his muse, with echoes of Hitchcock.

The critic describes an impossible love affair rendered in impeccable detail that beguiles and confounds, praising the tonal fluidity, reserved performances, and insight into desire, ambition and control.

The critic praises Anderson’s most ambitious and surprising film, highlighting the power reversal between the obsessive designer and his muse along with Hitchcockian influences blended into comedy and drama.

The critic praises Daniel Day-Lewis's charismatic and outrageous performance as the fastidious couturier Reynolds Woodcock in what is claimed to be his final role. The review highlights the film's heightened reality, elegant absurdity, and the lead actor's swansong as a high note of pure delicious pleasure.

The critic describes the film as an exquisitely idiosyncratic melodrama of love, desire and gamesmanship among control freaks in the world of haute couture, less grandiose than Anderson's recent work but more precision-controlled. He singles out Jonny Greenwood's gorgeously melodious score as the most important individual contribution to the film's impact.

The critic praises the film's chamber-piece qualities and the richly textured performances, especially Daniel Day-Lewis as an obsessive couturier and Vicky Krieps as his determined muse. It is presented as a wry, comic study of love, work, and power dynamics in a refined gothic vein.

Harrison calls it an instant classic and one of the best films of the year, praising its intimate study of an unusual relationship that feels eerie and sumptuous, with standout transformative performances and intricate character details that reward rewatching.

The critic praises the film as stunning and memorable, highlighting enchanting performances from Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville as well as the assured direction from Paul Thomas Anderson.

The critic calls it one of the year's best films, a delirious and hypnotic pitch-black comedy with stellar performances, especially from Vicky Krieps, and praises the lush direction, look, and Jonny Greenwood score.

Flood praises the deeply visual and detailed film for its rich worlds, breathtaking score, and absorbing performances, especially Day-Lewis's ability to disappear into the character and Krieps's strong-willed turn as Alma, calling it a perfect send-off despite the slow pace.

The critic calls it a sumptuous chamber drama studying power shifts among an obsessive dressmaker, his sister, and his love interest, with a slippery story that undercuts expectations. Singles out the transformation theme, emotional textures, and especially Daniel Day-Lewis's indelible performance.

The critic finds the film compelling thanks to its captivating performances and exquisite craftsmanship, though it lacks emotional depth like Anderson's recent works. Singles out the interplay of artistry, gender dynamics, and the strong acting from Day-Lewis, Krieps, and Manville.

Pete Hammond calls it mesmerizing with odd delights, praising Day-Lewis's performance as a memorable swan song, along with strong supporting turns and the film's Hitchcockian influences and sumptuous production.

The critic praises it as PTA’s latest masterpiece, highlighting the sophisticated and humorous exploration of disruptive love between a designer and his muse, with strong performances and a perverse twist.