"Phantom Sewer" does not seem to be from Paul Thomas Anderson (abbreviation: PTA) at first glance. It is far away from the United States and replaced by exquisite London. It removes the language background of California slang and replaces it with an elegant London accent and French, without drugs. , Sex and violence, but full of twists and turns and weird love lingering. But just like "The Age of Innocence" is to Martin Scalses (it happens that the male protagonists are all DDL), it seems to be incompatible with the gang epic, but in fact it is about the original theme, the struggle of individuals with the entire mainstream society. What PTA explores in "The Phantom Sewer" is still the story of the lonely being pushed to the extreme and constantly breaking through the limits in their disharmonious lives.
The story is set in London in the 1950s. The lens is like an elegant and lyrical waltz dance. It trots quickly through the porch, leaps and whirls across the stairs and rooms at a peculiar angle, following the beginning of the day's work at the high fashion house Woodcock. Slowly spread the introduction. High fashion customization designer Reynolds Woodcock is highly sought after by the upper class and nobles in London with his artistic talent and excellent craftsmanship. His sister Cyril Woodcock runs the family workshop in the role of manager while also getting rid of what he no longer likes for Reynolds. Inspiration "Muse".
Cyril said when discussing with Reynolds where Joanna was the last "Muse": "Her time is gone, she is getting fat, sitting there waiting for you to fall in love with her again", with Reynolds' acquiescence, Cyril proposed A couture skirt was used as compensation to get rid of her. On the way back to the country house, Reynolds met Alma, the waitress of the restaurant-a tall, clumsy young woman with a friendly smile. Reynolds and Alma fell in love at first sight, or he fell in love with Alma's body and posture at first sight, because she just perfectly met Reynolds's most preferred body standard-the same body as his deceased mother: flat chest, slightly protruding body Lower abdomen, and other size ratios that fascinate Reynolds. The meaning of "Muse" is greater than the model, but lower than the lover. The film's shots rarely go deep into the protagonist's bedroom to explore the intimate relationship between Reynolds and his muse, only to have a taste at the bedside where they are cuddling with each other.
His mother is Reynolds' tailor mentor and the source of inspiration for his creation. The absence of his father's premature death made him rely too much on his mother's love, and also caused him to lack the ability to express emotions normally. When his mother was married for the second time, Reynolds, who was only sixteen years old, sewed a wedding dress for her, and his endless yearning and obsession with his mother became Reynolds’s demon. He held a strand of his mother’s hair next to him and believed in himself. Cursed will be destined to be lonely and unmarried. If it weren't for Alma, his life would continue to lose coordination, he could not distinguish between work and life, reality and illusion, and constantly looking for substitutes that could perfectly fit into his mother's contours. He would be obedient and obedient. The eliminated body. This time he found Alma and fell into love again, transforming Alma from a waitress into an elegant and perfect model.
Tailor-made clothing symbolizes men's requirements for the ultimate representation of ideal partners. Just like Cinderella's crystal shoes imply a metaphor for the standard of the female body, only the shape that can coincide with the phantom of the mother can win Reynolds's favor. Rather than saying that Reynolds is an Oedipus complex, it is better to say that he takes his mother as a perfect model, over-indulges in the belief in his mother during his youth to reject the equality and concessions in the intimate relationship in real life, and refuses the intervention and transformation of his partner by his partner. In the process of escaping from reality, build your own lonely kingdom. In fact, Reynolds's spell of not getting married was not caused by wedding dress superstition, but because he was trapped in a barrier set by himself, unable to have a normal relationship.
Alma is not another docile body. At the beginning of their relationship, she told Reynolds: "Whatever you do to me, please be careful."
Alma was invited to enter the almost isolated world of Reynolds, where they experienced the sweetness of falling in love at first: Reynolds became hungry because of Alma's appearance, tailored a perfect dress for her, and even embroidered her name into her She wore a gap in the long skirt; and Reynolds became Alma's faith. She urged Reynolds to take back the dress she had ruined from Barbara Rose, because they were also unwilling to compromise the principle of money. At the same time, Reynolds began to be unable to tolerate Alma's living habits and self-assertion, and Alma also found that Reynolds was picky, self-conscious and conceited, and could not tolerate anything that did not suit him. He completely ignored Alma's sense of autonomy and even criticized her." No taste at all."
In this solid system, Reynolds is the center of the mind and power that dominates everything. He has a successful career, rich wealth, a reputation as a symbol of noble clothing and the trust of the European royal family. In this family workshop, he has established dictatorship and authority. He prefers the rules as the center. And Alma, an immigrant from an ordinary background and a former waitress who lives in the Woodcock family as an exclusive model, is still at the bottom of the system and may become the next object of deportation at any time. The power of economic and social status is not equal, making Reynolds the person who holds the power in the relationship between the two. He does not know how to manage feelings and abuses power to Alma and her predecessors through orders, ignorance and demeanor.
Our Alma is eager for more power to control her lover. When she saw that Reynolds' appetite increased greatly because of the arrival of the Belgian princess, and even asked for cream to serve porridge, she thought that perhaps satisfying the appetite could cater to Reynolds' heart. Therefore, he specially cooked a candlelight dinner to celebrate his birthday, which is a typical act of giving in a romantic relationship. The carefully prepared birthday surprise was rejected by Reynolds harshly: "I admire myself for being able to eat the meal you prepared for me so politely and against my heart."
In the movie, appetite is the most straightforward symbol of Reynolds's desire for women. On the day he first met Alma, he ate an exceptionally rich breakfast, which caused Alma to nickname him "hungry boy" on a small note; when they were still in love, Reynolds said to Alma more than once: " You make me feel extremely hungry." Back at the beginning of the movie, facing the former Joanna handing over a basket of bread smeared with butter, Reynolds said in disgust: "I told you that I don't eat these sticky things anymore." And he Later, he accused Alma of cooking the asparagus in butter in the same way. Obviously, when Reynolds was in a good mood, butter and cream were his favorite food ingredients. His appetite was high along with his cravings. Picky eating was just his expression. The excuses of disgust and impatience use "You should have known what I don't love" to criticize those partners who try to please him, making them feel guilty and guilty, thereby destroying their self-confidence and imposing punishment on them.
Disappointed Alma did not escape or compromise. She recalled Reynolds' fragility and frankness in the sick state and the unprecedented need for her, so she introduced the relationship between the two tortuously into the peculiarity of sadomasochism in a way of physical punishment. field. Based on the mushroom map, she chose yellow spot mushrooms, which are irritating to the stomach and intestines. They were not fatal, but enough to make Reynolds quickly fall ill. Reynolds, who was frail and had a high fever, saw his mother in hallucinations. His weakness and weakness caused him to temporarily lose power, and he returned to the helpless dependence of his mother in his youth. As if he was still a weak boy, waiting for the salvation of adult women. At this moment, the focus of power was transferred to Alma. Faced with this helpless "boy", she was confident that she possessed the magic power that could make him fall ill and recover again.
Until after marriage, whenever Reynolds tried to ignore Alma's existence, Alma would punish him in this way. In the eyes of outsiders, the relationship between the two sides is full of thorns. They confronted each other with bruises and bruises, cold violence and poisoned seesaw, and continued the game until Reynolds culminated in the scene where Reynolds said "Kiss me before I got sick" after taking a bite of poisonous mushrooms. According to the hints in the mushroom map, the yellow spot mushroom tasted bitter and not delicious. It is not difficult for Reynolds, who has already suffered from the disease, to see Alma's methods, but he enjoys it in the tortured and cared cycle. He enjoys it. The role change and power replacement in the frailty entrusted oneself to Alma like a believing mother. And Alma made no secret of her possessiveness. "Even if he can't wake up, in the world after death, or in countless life cycles, I will come to him again."
Alma used poison as a means to tame Reynolds' resistance and depression, piercing his hard inner armor to release the trust and tenderness he had depreciated for years, and redeem his marginalized loneliness. Reynolds' paranoid fantasy and Alma's desire to conquer have become a unique complement to each other. A dialogue in the first half of the movie becomes the best interpretation of their relationship.
"I think it took me a long time to find you."
"Yes, you found me. Whatever you do to me, please be careful."
The haute couture of Reynolds, which is gradually aging, has also begun to decline. Her former loyal customer, Countess Henrietta, fell into the arms of other fashion houses, because Woodcock's haute couture dresses put too much emphasis on perfect curves and strangled her. The young and energetic Alma will not only become Reynolds' emotional salvation, but will also help him in his career.
A bite of this retro scene, exquisite fashion, poisoning methods and dark curses wrapped in layers, but the core of the story has no substantial relationship with the times, London, high society and handmade clothes. The movie still discusses It is the emotional relationship of the current era-loneliness and love. The impeccable retro atmosphere created by PTA undoubtedly makes this abnormal love more pure and beautiful. It retreats from the PTA’s ambitious "Boogie Nights", "The Blood Is Coming", "The Master" and "The Evil of Nature" and other era epic picture scrolls, and it is closer to the streamlined sketches such as "Private Love Disorder". Not seeking deepness but subtle and interesting, focus and obsessively describe this seemingly dark and twisted love story, but in his unique way, he hides the warmth and veins in it one by one.
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