Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Leading Actors/Actresses
Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Lesley Manville
Genre
Drama
Language
English
Awards
Won 1 Oscar: Best Costume Design
Date of Release
2017
Producer
Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, JoAnne Sellar, Daniel Lupi
Setting and Context
London's couture world in 1954
Narrator and Point of View
POV is that of Reynolds and Alma.
Tone and Mood
Dramatic, Serious, Romance
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonists and Antagonists are Reynolds and Alma, depending on perspective
Major Conflict
Alma has become Reynolds’ muse, but she finds it difficult to connect with him beyond his work.
Climax
Alma begins to poison Reynolds in order to weaken him, making him need her and her alone, then nurses him back to strength where he can carry out his artistic genius uncluttered. They marry.
Foreshadowing
Alma asking a cook if the mushrooms are poisonous early in the film foreshadows her poisoning of Reynolds.
Understatement
It is understated that Reynolds knows that he is being poisoned.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
The film is an allusion to the madness and coldness of genius, and to what people do in order to hold onto love.
Paradox
Reynolds proposes to Alma the morning after recovering from being gravely ill. Paradoxically, Alma is the one who’s poisoned him.
Parallelism
The opening shot of Alma speaking to the doctor is paralleled throughout the film, as she discusses Reynolds's condition with him.
