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

ADVERTISEMENT
Frente aos factos

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.

Subscribe to this Blog via Email :