A story about a restrained fashion designer and the young woman who comes into his life, threatening his normal orderly processes, has a very prestigious sheen to it. Day Lewis in what's apparently his retirement role has this kind of uptight intensity down pat, familiar in films like "Age of Innocence" and even his early turn as Cecil Vyse in "Room with a View". Vicky Krieps is the young woman in question, and she starts with simplicity and modesty before unwrapping a far more ranging talent. There's an underlying theme of the relationship between an artist and the people in his life, which makes this somewhat like a higher-toned version of "mother!".
Director Paul Thomas Anderson was a favourite of the 90s and early 2000s, but I gotta say as he's got older I've become more aware of his need to find a screenwriter other than himself. In this case, he's written a film that feels too often like it's treading water - very beautiful water, but still, water. Lesley Manville as Lewis' similarly restrained sister feels like she should at some point do something more than light glowering, but her role never really develops into anything with a point to it - Manville gives it what it needs, but the plot function fails to satisfy, and while sparks eventually start to fly between Lewis and Krieps, it does take quite a while to get there. Still, it's all very lush, from the costuming to Johnny Greenwood's grand orchestral score. So this is pretty and interesting but emotionally kinda unengaging.
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