I wonder if there will be some Vertigo vibes and there is also the use of the name, Alma.
The table shot makes me think of Barry Lyndon and some shots of EWS - maybe the Christmas decorations/stairs.
This reminded me of Jack White hiding vinyl records in the furniture he made pre-White Stripes.
"Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love."
I wonder if PTA having a relationship with a comedienne will inform this at least a little bit indirectly.
As to 'more reserved socially' versus the opposite.