Directors Series Final: 'Phantom Thread' Spoiler Analysis

We have reached the end of my Paul Thomas Anderson/Wes Anderson directors series and I just wanted to thank everyone for coming on this journey and hopefully finding new ways to see these films or an interest in watching them. For the finale, I wrote a lengthy in-depth analysis for one of PTA's best films, "Phantom Thread." I hope you all take the time to read and enjoy!

Paul Thomas Anderson always chooses very unique settings for his films. There is always an underlying theme or even multiple themes inside the story, but they often make the viewer question why choose such a unique backdrop for particular themes or stories? It could be interpreted that the setting does not directly correlate with the themes of the story, also that it indeed does. In Anderson’s most recent film “Phantom Thread,” the setting is 1950s dressmaking in London. At the heart of the film, is a power struggle between a peculiar love interest and a demanding dressmaker who in instances, behaves like a child.

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Anderson was the teenager who had everything he could want that involved filmmaking as his father was a successful voice actor in television. Although, what he did not have was a stable relationship with his mother. Anderson frequently avoided talking about her in interviews after his film “Boogie Nights”was released when asked about the origin of the scene where Eddie and his mother get into a heavy argument and she verbally abuses him. In an excerpt form George Toles’ book from the Contemporary Film Directors on Anderson, he mentions an interview where Anderson explains why he avoids the subject. “In an earlier interview, published closer to the time of Boogie Nights’ completion, he ducked questions about is mother and then went on to explain why: ‘I’ve been reluctant to talk about that because maybe I’ll deal with it in another movie.”[i] It is doubtful that Anderson or his audience knew that the movie would become “Phantom Thread.” The film’s main character Reynolds Woodcock lives in his house with his sister, Cyril, where she makes sure all of the employees arrive and get the house ready for the day. Meanwhile, Reynolds goes through his daily routine of shaving, combing his hair, and getting dressed. He also has breakfast with a female companion where it is presumed that she is a love interest. Although, there is no hint of a romantic relationship. Cyril later asks Reynolds if it is time the woman is asked to leave, indicating that she was merely just a candidate for a partnership between the two. At the end of a successful dress fitting, Cyril and Reynolds go to a restaurant that Reynolds regularly goes to throughout the film. Reynolds tells Cyril how he has been thinking of his mother lately. “Been having feels of mama lately. Smelling her scent, appearing in my dreams. In the strongest sense that she is near us.” This short scene is the most any character has ever spoken of their mother in all of Anderson’s films. This is similar to Anderson in real life constantly not answering questions about his mother, Edwina, in interviews. This tendency was even exhibited in Magnolia when Frank T.J. Mackey gets furious and abruptly ends an interview when asked about his mother. In “Phantom Thread”, Reynolds speaks of his mother so fondly and mentions that he hopes she saw the dress he made, indicating that he wants to make her proud. This is very contrasting to Anderson’s previous films as the mother of his lead characters have been abusive (Boogie Nights) or any connection or concern towards them has been terminated. (Magnolia)

When Reynolds meets the lead female character, Alma for the first time, he is having breakfast and she is his waitress. The first time he sees her, she stumbles on a table in the restaurant. This normally would have turned Reynolds away, as he is a man of swift posture and organization. However, he is still curious. When she takes his order, Reynolds orders multiple items on the menu and proceeds to keep her notepad, almost testing her to see if she can do something only a maternal figure could do in the eyes of a child: remember all of their food just the way they like it. Reynolds could also be testing Alma as a potential suitor in a romantic partnership. Before he leaves the restaurant, Alma gives her name to Reynolds written on the check along with a note “For the hungry boy” asserting her dominance by viewing him as a boy and not as a man.

Jason Sperb discusses in his biographical book Blossoms & Blood Anderson’s absence of a father figure in “Punch-Drunk Love” that is similar to “Phantom Thread.” Sperb writes “In addition to a noticeable shift in tone, the glaring difference from earlier films is that there is suddenly no “father” (biological or surrogate) in Punch-Drunk Love.”[ii] In “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” and “The Master,” there is a father figure that the main characters latch onto in the absence of their own fathers. In the case of “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Boogie Nights” and “Phantom Thread,” “strong women emerge in the void created by the lack of an assertive masculine presence.”[iii] Unlike Barry in Punch-Drunk, Reynolds is equally dominant to Alma whereas Barry is extremely anxious and submissive to his oppressive sisters. After their first encounter, Reynolds offers to take Alma out for dinner and continues to assert his dominance by thinning her lipstick at the table. Anderson’s writing continues to make the lead character’s mother present more than any of his previous films. Reynolds even reveals to Alma that he keeps a lock of his mother’s hair sewn into his coat lining. When Alma asks why, Reynolds replies “To keep her close to me, always,” further indicating that he desires a motherly figure in his life. “Always carry her with you” he says when Alma tells him she does not have a picture of her mother on her person. After dinner, the two go back to Reynolds’ cottage where he immediately shows Alma a photo of his mother and continues to not mention his father, something that is prominent in Anderson’s films. The lack of a paternal figure in Reynolds’ life likely caused him to latch onto his mother and constantly be in need of her. It would explain his routine lifestyle and the desire find a partner who could meet the standards of a mother. Anderson continues to write Reynolds as a character who could care less about being involved romantically with Alma and is only interested in her being a partner for modeling dresses and being a maternal presence. While at his home, Reynolds asks Alma if she would like to model for a dress fitting. She accepts, since she is romantically interested in Reynolds, but quickly realizes he might not feel the same way. Anderson is able to give further background to Reynolds’ and Cyril’s cycle through potential women by having Cyril show up for the fitting, as she knew it would be taking place. Indicating that they have done this same practice before. Reynolds still tries to assert his dominance by commenting on Alma having small breasts. “It is my job to give you some, if I choose to.” Alma is visibly uncomfortable in the scene but still falls for Reynolds’ charm. The two characters continue to go out together and further develop into a romantic relationship as during the montage of them walking together, Reynolds takes Alma’s hand and says to her “I feel as if I’ve been looking for you for a very long time,” further establishing that he may have found the maternal figure he has longed for ever since his mother passed away.

Alma seems completely happy to be with Reynolds as the two seem to have found their match. It is not until unbeknownst to Alma, Cyril joins them at dinner, where she realizes Reynolds still wants his sister to be a part of his life just as much as his new partner. Reynolds even makes it a point to say “Cyril is always right,” letting Alma know that Cyril will still come before her in his life. This sibling connection and Reynolds’ need for Cyril in his life ties back into Anderson being in a family of multiple sisters. Although according to Sperb in his book, “the director resisted the implication that they were anything like the verbally abusive siblings in the film,”[iv] referring to “Punch-Drunk Love.” Cyril is quite the opposite of the sisters in Punch-Drunk. Cyril makes sure Reynolds’ days go smoothly, takes care of all of the employees, and has breakfast with him. She is caring, but quiet as she knows her brother likes his days to begin quietly at breakfast. Cyril’s place in the film is almost maternal as Reynolds tells Alma she has taken care of him ever since their mother died. The viewer could question why Cyril is not good enough to be that maternal figure Reynolds longs for when they seem to be doing well living their lives together. It is the fact that Reynolds wants a maternal figure that he can love and be romantic with, as well as them take care of him.

Anderson has explored Sigmund Freud’s psychology of mothers and sons in his previous films particularly with “Boogie Nights.” The idea in the film is that Eddie Adams leaves his biological mother and family in favor of a surrogate family and mother through Amber Wave. However, Amber is a porn star which is what Eddie himself will begin doing as that is their lifestyle. During Eddie’s first porn scene, he has sex with Amber even though she acts as his surrogate mother in the film. Toles discussed this scene in his book referring to an Esquire interview where they asked Anderson about a possible connection between the Amber surrogate mother and Eddie’s biological mother, who has an autobiographical connection to Anderson himself. “The movie [Boogie Nights] is in many ways about family, but both the main character’s real mom and figurative mom have what you might call boundary issues. His real mom, Joanna Gleeson’s character is beating him up, and he’s fucking [his adoptive mom] Julianne Moore’s character. So, is this coincidence, good scriptwriting, or a Freudian slip? Anderson replies, ‘You’ve got it. It’s all of those.’[v] The theory of Freud’s psychology and the unconscious mind is that at some point, men have the urge to have sex with their mothers. This ties into “Phantom Thread” with the maternal figure Alma eventually becomes to Reynolds, he will have a sexual desire towards her as the two eventually have sex off camera. While Reynolds still has Alma below Cyril in his level of importance, he does continue to grow fonder of her in a romantic light as the film goes on. After the two share a romantic evening, Alma sits down for breakfast with Reynolds and Cyril. She begins scraping her toast and pouring her coffee, all of which make noise that is very loud when compared to the quiet nature in which Reynolds likes to have his breakfast. Alma does not view the noise as an issue and does not understand why Reynolds leaves the room barely having finished his breakfast in such a fuss. She even proclaims to Cyril “He’s just being fussy,” continuing to view Reynolds as childish and immature about the noise at breakfast. Anderson continues to develop Reynolds as a very OCD, controlling character that when something does not go well, it literally makes Reynolds sick and need to be bed-ridden. For instance, there is a scene in the film when a fashion show modeling the House of Woodcock dresses. There is miscommunication and overall the show does not go well, leaving Reynolds angry and distraught to where he cannot even drive as Alma offers to. They go back home, and Reynolds remains bed-ridden and ill for three days. This is explained by an overlapping sequence that opened the film in which Alma is speaking with what is presumed by the viewer to be a psychologist. Alma is explaining Reynolds as a person and the way in which she speaks is as if she has known him for a long time. This leads the viewer to believe that Alma will win Reynolds over and they will be together. Alma continues to explain how much she enjoys Reynolds when he is in this state. “He’s a baby, like a spoiled little baby. He’s very tender and open,” she says. Alma is able to fully have Reynolds in her control when he falls ill, gaining satisfaction from being in a dominating position as well as the motherly role. The scene as a whole can be viewed as a mother taking care of her sick child with Reynolds being at his most loving and submissive state as he enjoys Alma taking care of him. This state of Reynolds could be compared to Anderson’s early career when he was uptight about his films and often clashed with studios. When he gained criticism for them, or argued with executives, it would not be surprising to learn that he fell ill in a similar manner in which Reynolds does. This would explain the origin of the scene and the character himself.

Alma continues to try and win Reynolds over as she begins to think she has more leeway in planning things in Reynolds’ life due to their romantic relationship progressing. She tells Cyril she wants to have as surprise dinner for Reynolds, which Cyril tells her is a bad idea due to Reynolds’ tendency to have a very strict daily routine and not have anything come up that he is unaware of. Alma takes the chance, believing Reynolds is mature enough to where the unexpected dinner will not become an issue. Naturally, she is wrong. Upon coming home to find the house empty except for Alma, the first thing Reynolds asks is “Where is Cyril?” indicating that Alma is still not the sole maternal figure in his life as she has not fully gained control. When they sit down for dinner, Reynolds is visibly frustrated with his dinner and the whole evening that he clearly did not want. This scene and following argument could be viewed as a child becoming upset at their mother for not preparing food the way they like it or being forced into something they do not want to do simply because the mother said so. The irony is Reynolds is clearly a middle-aged adult and could say no, but he does not want to hurt Alma’s feelings and instead complains and barely eats his food. Alma, fed up with his behavior, says she cannot handle it anymore and explains her frustrations to Reynolds. He proclaims that if she cannot handle his behavior and lifestyle, she could leave. Although both characters know they do not want to be without the other, as they both desire control and being the figure they both need.

Anderson clearly has unresolved issues with his mother, as the realization of what Alma must do in order to have Reynolds in her full submission is quite dark. She poisons Reynolds a dosage enough that he will become ill enough to become bed-ridden for a few days. When he falls ill, Cyril and Alma are at his aid, but it is finally Alma who becomes first in Reynolds’ life as Cyril is shut out of the room by Alma, leaving her by his side. Cyril even calls a doctor to come and check on Reynolds, but he refuses, calmly telling the doctor to “fuck off.” Alma is the only one he wants by his side taking care of him because “mother knows best.” In what would be a climactic moment for Reynolds as a character, one that Anderson himself likely had something similar to the film in his own life when he began dating his current partner of 18 years Maya Rudolph, Reynolds has a vision of his mother while laying ill in bed. She appears across the room in the same dress she wore in the picture she showed to Alma. He asks her in a hazed state, “Are you always here?” His mother has no response, but instead, Alma walks in right next to where his mother is standing, indicating that his mother is there in spirit through Alma, she is the maternal figure he needs in his life. The two eventually marry as Reynolds recovers and realizes she is indeed the one. Alma believes the two are finally at peace with one another and that she has complete control and submission over Reynolds, playing the maternal figure she desires and one that Reynolds needs. However, Reynolds still gets bothered by her noise and other things to where he realizes he may have made a mistake in marrying her. On their honeymoon, Alma spontaneously tells Reynolds she wants to go dancing. He of course says no as that was not a part of his or their, now that they are married, itinerary. Alma goes along and normally Reynolds would not care, but now that the two are married, he has grown fond of her and her motherly instincts to where he goes to confront her, feeling guilty. The two make amends but once back in London, Reynolds confesses to Cyril that their marriage is not going well, and that Alma is ruining everything. She overhears the conversation and any other woman would be heartbroken and leave immediately, but Alma is not to be gotten rid of that easily. Angry at Reynolds, Alma knows in order to have her husband in complete submission she must poison him an amount that will leave him unable to work and be in her complete care. Reynolds having realized what Alma has been doing, willingly eats the poisonous mushrooms, marveled at her persistence to not give up on him. He gives into mother’s demand, and finally accepts the fact that he enjoys being taken care of like a child by his maternal figure.

The film ends by cutting back to the sequence with Alma speaking to the psychologist and it is revealed Reynolds was laying his head on her lap through the entire sequence, being nurtured by his spiritual mother, happy as he could ever be. Reynolds is at peace now that he has the perfect mother figure taking care of him and hopefully Anderson himself is at peace, by finally confronting a story about his mother.