"Perfectionism, the belief that one has to be perfect all of the time, everywhere, and to everyone (and/or that another ought to be perfect for them), is flawlessly exhibited in the 2017 film Phantom Thread, about the fictitious fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock, who operates a fashion house in 1950s London. To say Reynolds is meticulous is an understatement. Reynolds is deeply self-possessed, embodying many of the mantras of the contemporary self-help industry. Emotions are his enemies."
"He silences chaos with routine, external noise through shame, and people with rage. Seldom is there deep refection. Hardly does he ask: Why does this bother me so much? Is there something about it that makes me feel afraid? He lives on almost pure instinct and compulsivity. To Reynold's, on the surface, everything merely feels like something to be owned and contorted; he treats his partners as he treats his dresses - remolding nature into his image."
Reynolds Woodcock embodies obsessive perfectionism and structures his entire life around rigorous routines that suppress and process all emotion. He treats emotions as enemies and uses routines, shame, and rage to silence chaos and control others. He operates largely on instinct and compulsion, avoiding reflection about underlying fears and motives. He approaches people like material to be remolded, applying the same controlling craft to partners as to dresses. Alma penetrates his defenses, recognizes his performative strength, and helps him access and reconcile more vulnerable aspects of himself, creating opportunities for emotional change.
Read at Psychology Today
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