(SPOILERS INCLUDED)
Who said horror is dead? Mia Goth brought it back with Pearl and she ATE and left no crumbs.
The film Pearl was released on September 16, 2022. It’s directed and written by Ti West and stars Mia Goth as Pearl. It also stars David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, and Emma Jenkins. The film is a prequel to X (2022) and the plot of X centers on a group of actors who decide to shoot an adult movie in a remote part of Texas. As an elderly woman named Pearl and her husband begin murdering them, they are engaged in a desperate battle for their life. Both movies are set in the same universe, and Pearl tells the backstory of X’s movie’s villain.
In 1918 on a rural farm in Texas, a girl named Pearl is confined to her family’s remote farm where she must take care of her dying father while her devoted mother keeps a stern and domineering eye on her. Pearl also has a husband who left her to go to war. She yearns for the beautiful life she has seen in movies. Pearl wants to be a dancer and a movie actress. Mitzy, Pearl’s sister-in-law, informs her that a dancing troupe will be holding auditions in town. When her mother finds out, she becomes angry. Pearl, in a fit of rage, kills her mother and crippled father. She thinks her parents are keeping her on the farm and impeding her aspirations. She does a dance routine during the audition and is rejected. Instead, Mitzy is given the role, and Pearl murders her out of jealous wrath. When Pearl grabs an axe, Mitzy tries to run away and get assistance, but Pearl hacks her to death. Pearl, in the end, never makes it out of the farm and she stays there for the rest of her life. Pearl has two desires in the film; to get off the farm and to be a successful actress and be loved by many. She lacks love from her parents and her mother is very strict with her. The film progresses from Pearl acting strangely at first, such as killing a goose and feeding it to an alligator, to anarchy as she gradually fails to acquire what she wants. When her mother refuses to allow her to go to the audition, she becomes enraged to the point of murder, and when she does not receive the audition, she spirals into insanity and murders her sister-in-law.
Pearl is a perfect modern slasher due to its breathtaking cinematography, acting, and directing.
It incorporates both dramatic and horror elements, unlike most slashers.
The performance that Mia Goth gives is incredible. Her portrayal of a psychotic killer keeps you on the edge of your seat as the film goes on. It’s an electrifying and scary performance. The eight-minute monologue at the end where she confesses her struggles of being a young wife, how much she hates her husband and confesses her murderous tendencies is very powerful. William Bibbiani from The Wrap says, “Pearl” is a genuinely frightening motion picture, and while West is undeniably staging the action, Goth is the one working the greatest wonders. Her portrayal is unbearably sad and breathtakingly scary, often at the very same time, culminating in one of the year’s great one-take horror monologues” Mia Goth pours all her emotion into it and she IS her character. Pearl admits her insanity by saying, “I hate you so much for leaving me here. Sometimes I hope you die. I know what I’ve done. Bad things, terrible, awful murderous things. I regret them now, but I liked how they felt. I wish I didn’t, but I did. At first, it was only animals smaller than myself. Nothing with feelings, nothing that could hurt me back felt good. Killing is easier than you think.”
Pearl is not your typical slasher with mindless kills. The film has explanations behind her actions and amazing storytelling. It gives you an emotional connection to her character unlike most slashers like Halloween (1978) where Michael Meyers is just a killer with no character traits. Pearl is the main character that you can only root for but she is also a villain. What’s unique about this film is that the movie focuses on the villain’s point of view rather than that of the victims. You truly understand Pearl’s actions and you’re rooting for her to be successful as an actress but the ending proves it to be a sad demise. The last scene of the movie is somewhat of an unsettling and odd spectacle. Pearl welcomes her husband home after the war and greets him with a smile. However, it turns into an odd desperation of trying to please him and hopes that he’ll accept her in the end. Pearl’s face distorts from a welcoming smile to a forced smile of desperation with tears streaming down her cheeks. It goes on for several minutes as the end credits roll. It is an odd but sad way to end the film, it depicts the sad demise of what Pearl wants to be.
It’s one of the most creative slashers ever produced. The color palette and cinematography paid homage to Old Hollywood technicolor films, and the shots were scenic.
This picture was a spectacle in general,
The film’s focus is on Pearl, therefore most of the viewpoints are centered on her while she murders her victims. Shot upon shot, they capture her expression and her spiral into insanity.
Pearl could have improved the pacing and added more depth to the tale. The film begins by lingering on Pearl’s suffering for more than an hour, despite the fact that it is just 1 hour 42 minutes long. The conclusion felt rushed and chopped short. When Pearl murders Mitzy, the film abruptly ends, leaving you with little time to contemplate what has just occurred. Her motivations could have been developed more in the tale. Her intentions appeared to be shallow and lacking in depth. She kills individuals on the spur of the moment because she can’t obtain what she wants, and this is true of every kill in the film. Instead of the fact that she killed people, there could have been a greater significance to her actions.
Pearl a terrific period piece as well as one of the best modern slashers.
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This film’s homage to Old Hollywood was nostalgic and enjoyable. The villain’s perspective on a slasher was unique. Mia Goth gave her all, and she sympathizes the most with a psychotic killer like Pearl. The cinematography was magnificent. Overall, it was excellent and, in my opinion, far superior to the previous film X. Ti West did a terrific job on this film. The unreleased sequel, Maxxxine looks just as promising.
Pearl was a fantastic film, a definite 8/10.
Written by: Ella Yam (@_myownprivateidaho)
