Phantom Thread

Daniel Day Lewis, Vicky Krieps

Leslie Manville

NETFLIX

I'm grateful for Netflix, it has a wide selection of films which were first shown on the big screen. I've been meaning to see Daniel Day Lewis' final film but due to time constraints, I missed its run by just a day.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis worked together in the award winning movie "There will be blood", a grand tale about the rise of a ruthless oil tycoon. 

Their second collaboration is a post-war narration, set in London about a famous fashion designer named Reynolds Woodcock. His stylish attires/gowns are sought after by royalty members, stars from tinsel town and the affluent sector of society. Together with his sister Cyril (Leslie Manville), a Mrs Danvers type and his business partner, the atelier is thriving.

After Cyril "rids" (no, she was not killed)  Reynolds of his lonely  girlfriend or wife (not sure if they were married); he drives at top speed in his sports car to his regular vacation spot.  There he meets Alma, a meek and shy waitress at the inn he frequents, who takes his order of a very hearty breakfast.

Alma (Vicky Krieps) is a bumpkin but Reynolds is totally smitten and brings her back to his atelier in London. At first, her role is ambiguous. She is assigned to help the other seamstresses yet she also shares his bed. They are polar opposites as she is awkwardly clumsy while Reynolds is refined and demure befitting his status in high society. 

But they are a good tandem as she's his inspiration, his muse, his everything. Things get  a bit bizarre when Alma commits some macabre deed so Reynolds is totally dependent on her. A side plot which I honestly didn't see coming. Soon enough, her 'gesture' works, so they seal their bond with matrimonial vows. Now official married, Reynolds lighten up a bit without losing his essence while Alma also tries desperately not to lose herself. Without compromising who they really are, their marriage is successful, even being blessed with a child. 

Newcomer Vicky Krieps was a revelation. Her Alma was able to evolve from an awe stricken shy waitress to a woman with a strong personality especially when it comes to "manipulating" her husband. Although she does have a morbid streak which manifests itself on some occasion, she is no longer the long suffering heroine. She has come into own person, a good thing for women during that decade when they were supposed to merely be decorative pieces.

Daniel Day Lewis doesn't disappoint at all. As Reynolds, he is in his best elements. Sans make up, salt & pepper hair slick and combed back, his face weary but distinguished, delivering his lines effortlessly. Totally imbibing this complex character with ease. At first, a stubborn snob but eventually submitting to a lifestyle completely different from his very uptight upbringing.

The Anglo-Irish actor has come a long way from "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992) as a swashbuckling hero rescuing a damsel in distress. He has had a flourishing career. Even though "Phantom Thread" is quite a 'minor' film compared to his other much celebrated movies, it was a fitting vehicle to capture his brilliant acting skills making him a great thespian. I will miss seeing him on the big screen but I also understand his reason for retirement. 

God speed, Daniel Day Lewis!

Private Life

Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hanh

Molly Shannon, Emily Robinson

NETFLIX

This drama tinged with some dry humor is set in New York and deals with a couple struggling with infertility problems. Richard Grimes (Paul Giamatti) and Rachel Biegler (Kathryn Hanh) are a typical couple, probably in their 40s. Richard teaches while Rachel is an author, their flat is surrounded with books, they live comfortably but their inability to conceive the natural way is taking a heavy toll on their marriage as well as their physical health and mental state.

Countless blood tests, retrieval of eggs, artificial insemination and the tortuous IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) are very strenuous for couples. Rachel and Richard though have this relentless spirit, they don't give up. Failure after failure doesn't slow them down. 

Soon enough, their niece Sadie who is taking a 'break' from studying at college (because she is lost and wants "to find herself") is more comfortable staying with them than with her parents.  They agree because it feels nice to have someone else in their house, sort of a distraction from their tedious "task".

By this time, Richard & Rachel are exploring other means of being parents. They decide on hiring a surrogate to carry their baby for them. They make a bold move by asking Sadie if she is willing to be their surrogate. She agrees because it was the  least she could do for them, her favorite persons in the whole world.

Here are issues I had with Sadie's agreement: First, she is only 18 years old, too young to be responsible. She can't even commit to finishing her studies. I know she won't be the mother, but still it was a huge responsibility to ask of a 'child'. Second, they didn't even check her medical history. Does she have any underlying conditions or can she even carry a baby to term? Third, Sadie is too close to them. She is their blood relation. 

I won't reveal, if they were successful or not in their attempts to conceive.

Director Tamara Jenkins does a great job in showcasing their journey towards parenthood. Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hanh were perfect in their roles, relying solely on their great acting skills and their palpable chemistry. They really imbibed the true nature of couples dealing with infertility. From their physical appearance, the endless talks about their options, to the heavy toll the constant pressures and stress took on their marriage.

I absolutely felt each of their heartaches, their pains, their feeling of being incomplete. Because, me too I struggled with infertility.  I was already 41 years old when we tried to conceive.  I had to spend 3 days a week at the hospital for TVS (ultrasounds), numerous blood tests. I also had to drink several fertility medicines daily, until it got to the point where I needed to be injected with HCG for follicles production, every other day. 

It was a vicious cycle of hospital visits and painful injections. It took a huge toll on my mental well being. I would cry to sleep every time I had 'negative' results in the pregnancy tests. I would easily cry whenever I saw babies, anywhere. I was an extremely troubled chapter in my married life.

After two years of trying, we simply quit and accepted that we are not meant to be parents. The sooner I accepted it, the better I felt. I have no regrets though. At least we tried until our bodies and our bank account surrendered to God's almighty will.

So "Private Life" felt so raw and genuine because there aren't many movies which tackle infertility problems with such precision. I like that the film wasn't too technical and instead focused on the journey of two wonderful persons who are willing to do anything to be parents. That, for me is the true measure of  L.O.V.E.

Fractured

Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe,

Lucy Capri, Stephen Tobolowsky

"Finding His family Means Facing the Truth"

NETFLIX

With this Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) aka Lockdown passing the one month mark in my neck of the woods, Netflix is now my best friend! =)

With a wide variety of genres available, one can get quickly overwhelmed. Normally, I stick to stand up comedies for a laugh here ... a laugh there. Often though, I end up falling asleep with earphones and laptop still on. Until the hubby wakes me up so he can switch off the lights.

But this movie kept me up, my eyes wide glued to the laptop screen because I had to put my thinking hat on to get into the main character's  frame of mind. "Fractured" not to be mistaken for "Fracture" (the Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling starrer) is a suspense thriller of one family's road trip, gone terribly wrong. 

Ray Monroe (Sam Worthington) and his wife Joanne and daughter Peri are on their way home after Thanksgiving. They stop by a gas station to refuel, and buy some snacks. Peri, his 6 year old daughter goes off wandering and accidentally falls into a construction pit. Frantically, they rush to a hospital's ER to have Peri examined. She needs surgery so she is taken to the OR. From sheer exhaustion, Ray falls asleep in the waiting room. Upon awakening, he inquires about his injured daughter.

Yet no one in the hospital knows where she is. In fact, they claim there isn't any patient by that name. In his stupor, he roams the halls of the hospital searching for his family. In the end, causing so much chaotic disruption, it affected the normal operations of the facility. 

This part evolves into a maudlin tale of a father desperate to know what really happened to his wife and daughter. It morphs into a who.is.indeed.telling.the.truth? sequence of events. Filmed in a mostly dim and dreamlike setting, it is hard to tell what is really happening with the doctors,  and police officers hovering over the already very confused and distraught Ray.

At this point, I was still fully invested in Ray's plight. The desperation and frustration visibly imbibed in his whole being. From sweating, his walking almost running pace, the fear etched on his troubled face. Until the very last scene, when the whole family is back in the car, all smiles, and singing with his daughter in the backseat, none the worse for wear.

Or are they?

It is in this  scene where the truth shockingly unfolds. Specifically in the back seat and the trunk of the vehicle Ray is driving on the highway.

The film is mostly average in nature. From the acting - almost all the scenes are focused on Sam Worthington who I first saw in James Cameron's "Avatar". I find it strange, that he has not really attained film star status despite appearing in one of the most highest grossing blockbusters of all time. To the cinematography which had mostly dim and dreary shots - the bleak climate, the menacing  construction pit complete with an aggressive barking dog to the muddled hospital scenes.

But if there is one thing I'd say going for "Fractured" which more or less captured the audience's my short attention span is the twist towards the end, in the car scene when everything seemed to have calmed down. Just when you finally catch your breath from all that frenzy in the hospital, boom it hits you!

I have to admit I didn't see it coming. Maybe, I was sleepy even though I did not doze off. Or perhaps all the mayhem in the hospital scenes masked some or several clues which would have offered me a better grasp of the eerie ending. Either way, the twist(ed) conclusion is the only + point I can confer to this psychological thriller/drama.