Sometime in the 1950s, celebrated British fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is enchanted by a waitress (Vicky Krieps) while on vacation and brings her to London where she becomes his increasingly frustrated companion. Paul Thomas Anderson reunites with his There Will Be Blood (2007) star, Day-Lewis, for a complex and dark romance between a creative genius who refuses to have his routines disturbed and a younger woman who becomes obsessed with making him love her. The film skilfully manipulates our emotions, making us see this man and woman through both perspectives. Day-Lewis perfectly embodies the domineering tailor, and the film’s many details are gorgeous to behold.
2017-U.S. 130 min. Color. Produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, Daniel Lupi, JoAnne Sellar. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Music: Jonny Greenwood. Costume Design: Mark Bridges. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis (Reynolds Woodcock), Vicky Krieps (Alma), Lesley Manville (Cyril Woodcock), Brian Gleeson.
Trivia: There is no credit for cinematography; Anderson claimed it was a collaborative effort.
Oscar: Best Costume Design. BAFTA: Best Costume Design.
Last word: “[Day-Lewis and I] were making each other laugh, texting each other back and forth like teenagers, trying to come up with names […] Then the text from Daniel came through: ‘Reynolds Woodcock.’ And on two simultaneous coasts, we both started laughing so deeply and so hard that I suddenly had tears pouring down my face. I thought, We can’t do that, right? Of course we can’t. But … we have to do that! I remember calling him, and he was laughing as much as I was, and I said, ‘We’ve got to do this. Let me write it into the script and we’ll live with it. We’ll try it on for size.'” (Anderson, Vulture)
