P.T. Anderson: Every Feature Film RANKED

With a subtlety and ghostliness more akin to Henry James than anything else, this unusual and atmospheric romance is sumptuously filmed and exquisitely performed.

In the high end fashion world of 1950s London, Phantom Thread blends romance with elements of the gothic tradition (especially Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca) to tell the tale of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he takes on Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) as his new muse.

You would be a touch misleading to say that Phantom Thread is a ghost story, but you'd be spot on if you said it was ghostly (hence the feeling that the piece shares some tonal DNA with Henry James). It is a deftly crafted, atmospheric piece bolstered by the ever-astounding Day-Lewis and Leslie Manville, with Krieps more than keeping her own.

Aside from the cinematography, there is one true standout on the technical side of things and that is Johnny Greenwood's score, which must surely be one of the 21st century's finest offerings. It has touches of romance, of ambiguity - almost a blend of Erik Satie and Debussy in places. It is a work that stands on its own, and yet when fused with the camerawork, it elevates the entire picture.