sexta-feira, 10 de janeiro de 2020
"Phantom Thread" Criticism: (A fusion between authoritarianism and a strong "feminism")
[Light. Camera. Action.]
Life in recent times has
challenged societies to argue about the role of men and women in the social
sphere. Such dynamics have also created space for women to define themselves in
all perspectives. This is what we can see in the movie "Phantom
Thread." The movie, illustrating the life of the 1950s, depicts the life
of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Lewis), a renowned stylist who works closely with
his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) to dress important people, greats of royalty
and the British elite.
The world that inspired
Woodcock's inspiration was the result of his relationships with women who knew
them, sometimes purposefully, in the course of his life. But such a change of
dynamics, almost brutally, when he meets Alma (Vicky Krieps), a woman of strong
personality, who after a few encounters becomes his lover. Featuring Oscar
nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best
Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), "Phantom Thread," as well as being
one of the most praised films of 2017, shows an evolution of Paul Thomas
Anderson, after the "Black Blood". Woodcock's personality makes us
think of the importance of watching the movie “Hitch”, played by Will Smith and
Eva Mendes, to understand how to behave in a relationship.
Perhaps that was what
Woodcock needed most, given his almost arrogant posture, of a traditional man
who hardly abandons his beliefs. Although the film conveys the idea of being decontextualized, taking into account the
evolution of the world, "Phantom Thread" proves to be an authentic
problematization of the current facts that go to the way societies are
segmented, either because of the excellent track sound that justifies the great
plot, which leads me to say that the $ 35 million budget for the production of
the film was well justified, given the fact that the film, released on 1
February 2018, have won the Oscar for Best Costume.
It's undoubtedly a reason
to say that Paul Anderson (June 26, 1970), is a good bet on film, not only for
being nominated twice for best Oscar for Best Original Screenplay by “Boogie
Nights” and “Magnolia”, but also for being one of the best filmmakers of recent
times.
“Phantom Thread” may
seem like just a movie that apparently deals with facts about the elites, but
it is undoubtedly a good plot that discusses how social and affectionate
relationships are built in modern societies where, in a way, women seem to
continue being seen as the weak "gender" that only fit in domestic
activities. The “Phantom Thread” deserves, without a doubt, 4 stars and an 8
rating (on a scale of 0-10), because as we watch the story unfold we realize
that the plot is that movie worthy of being exemplary (in a good way ), at
every level, because you can see an excellent involvement of all the characters
in the plot, with well-defined scenes and a costume that lives up to the type
of film that is presented. It is a movie to be seen and reviewed.
As we look at Woodcock's
extreme confidence in Cyril, it shows how far the actors have gone beyond the
script and managed to establish a good sibling relationship and the idea of a sister who advises her brother when Woodcock shows
his apathy for the idea of Chicks
clothing ”Which he said misrepresented the idea of fashion. As "rude/cold" as Arnold Swarzennegger in
"Commando", because of the fury after kidnapping his daughter,
Woodcock is softened in the scene where Alma decides to dance and Woodcock
follows her, as well as the scene in which Woodcock gets defeated when Alma, a
confident woman, in her instincts, decides to cook as Woodcock liked - using
butter - while he looks deeply into her and is suddenly surprised by his
beloved's "I love you."
For a man who showed his
seriousness, like Sam Camflin in "I after you," because of the death
that awaited him, Woodcock managed to break the thought that he had to use Alma
just to be able to design his new line of dresses, especially when he shows
that he was sensitive and afraid of losing his beloved, even though Alma had
heard him tell Cyril that she was not part of building his house.
But even though Woodcock
was a man who was not attached to women, by looking at them as disposable, he
managed to make the transition from a “loving villain” to a “gentleman” who was
beginning to learn to please a woman. Above all, Woodcock had to learn to
respect, understand Alma who was a woman with a strong vein, who knew how to
win over and tame a man when she told Woodcock that “I want to see you weak,
then see you strong".
Like Woodcock, Alma had
to transition from her world to the world of Woodcock because she learned, for
example, to respect the quiet moments of her lover, then husband, who did not
like noise. The mood between Woodcock and Alma was the pinnacle of the movie,
in the scene where Woodcock looks at Alma and says “a house that doesn't change
is a dead house” and then proposes to Alma and she looks at him deeply and is
left without words, then say "YES", even though he then asked
Woodcock back if he wanted to marry her, as if she wanted to show that she
could do the same.
“Phantom Thread” shows
the professionalism in the production of Joanne Sellar, Paul Megan and Daniel.
The narrative awakens us to the daily reality of our lives in society. One
interesting thing that was well crafted, but could have been better, was the
color issue that fit well into the movie, not to mention the fact that the film
featured a clever, suspenseful but entertaining script that kept it going.
Strong emotion and surprises in every scene.
The soundtrack could
have been better, but still managed to fit, especially in moments of silence,
suspense, as well as the fantastic expression of the actors, from the
protagonists (Woodcock and Alma) to Cyril. Perhaps from the experience of the
"Punch-Drunk Love" (romantic comedy), "Magnolia", that
earned him Golden Bear, or "There will be Blood" that earned him The Bear
for the Best Director, in Berlin, Paul Anderson undoubtedly presented a good
film proposal that was well justified through the good framing of the cameras,
with good shooting techniques, which caused a good impact of the film.
Even without beating the
box office of Leonardo DiCaprio's “Titanic” or Chadwick Boseman's “Black
Panther,” “Phantom Thread” is undoubtedly a good bet for those who want to sit
on a couch at night and enjoy a beautiful plot, eating some popcorn.
[Language issues still under review]
Sérgio dos Céus Nelson
Sobre o autor do blog
Sérgio dos Céus Nelson
Communication Officer at Lúrio University Journalist. Freelancer. Activist of Human Rights. Photographer
Communication and information specialist. Journalist. Writer. Screenwriter. Researcher. Motivator. Volunteer.
Founder of the Association of Environmental and Human Rights Journalists - AJADH and the Literary Association of Arts and Culture of Mozambique (ALARCUMO).
Contact: (+258) 829683204 or 846065018/879877312
Skype: Sérgio dos Céus Nelson
Journalist with Honorable Mention in the International Prize for Human Rights Journalism, by the Association of Public Defenders of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (ADPERGS) - Brazil.