"Pearl" review — "X" prequel is hypnotizing and disturbing
Pearl was born to be a star. Or, at least, that’s what she tells herself. Born to strict German immigrant farmers and raised in early-20th century Texas, Pearl has always wanted a life beyond the confines of her farm. But with her husband overseas fighting in World War I, Pearl’s only escape is through the movie theatre in town. She’s got dreams of dancing like one of the girls in the pictures, but no way to realize them. While her mother may hate the idea of her leaving, Pearl knows that she is destined to leave her old farm behind. That is, of course, if she can keep her sadistic streak at bay long enough before it causes irreparable damage to her family.
Starring the incredible Mia Goth as the title character, Pearl is a prequel to Ti West’s other 2022 horror film, X. Shot in secret after production wrapped on X in early 2021, Pearl is an origin story for X’s primary villain. Matching a disturbing performance from Goth and a hyper-technicolour visual style, Pearl is a deeply unsettling affair. Set in 1918, some sixty-one years before the events of the first film, we are introduced to Pearl, a lonely young woman with a nasty penchant for violence and a dream to make it to the stage and screen. She lives with her strict mother (Tandi Wright) and her infirmed father (Matthew Sunderland) on a farm in Texas. When Pearl meets a manipulative film projectionist (David Corenswet), she falls into a conflict between her dreams and her family which leads to some bloody consequences.
Aside from a shared location and one returning character, X and Pearl couldn’t be more different. Pearl abandons X’s Texas Chainsaw-inspired slasher mentality for a more psychological, yet still deeply horrifying, approach. While X revels in its grindhouse-esque violence and larger-than-life characters, Pearl contents itself with a much more lowkey cast of characters and a slower pace. The film is styled with vibrant candy colours — Pearl’s dress is the most intense shade of red, the sky has never looked bluer, and even the buildings in town find themselves adored with luscious shades — reflecting a very dream-like atmosphere. It’s a technicolour horror picture which makes its narrative all the more memorable. Pearl also never concerns itself with needlessly connecting to X. West lets his films be their own works and leaves so much time between the two that the audience doesn’t have all their questions about Pearl and her husband answered.
 |
| Mia Goth in Pearl. Photo: A24. |
West’s storytelling work is excellent here. Pearl takes its time. Whimsical in its presentation, the film still manages to keep the audience on its toes with early displays of violence and subtle hints at the fate of its characters. His nods to an older, more classical era of filmmaking add a great layer of charm to the entire film. It compliments so beautifully the dreams Pearl never seems to reach. We are given access to her world — a world of bright lights and stardom.
The pièce de résistance of Pearl is the showstopping performance by Mia Goth. Goth’s large grin and bright eyes give her the girlish charm of Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, but she adds a layer of madness and desperation that never lets the viewer get comfortable with her. Goth’s portrayal of the character is so beautifully realized. From her impressive monologue in the third act to the desperation inherent to the performance felt throughout the entire film, Goth is totally captivating throughout the film. “Malevolence is festering within you,” Pearl’s mother tells her partway through the film. The viewer feels that malevolence growing with every passing moment as the film builds towards its terrible conclusion.
Sparse its locations and characters, Pearl is both claustrophobic and maddening. The film is an excellent addition to the story that started in X but works just as well as its own standalone work. Goth reaches new heights in her performative ability here with a film that builds quietly and gets under the skin. The Texas sky might be blue, but blood flows just as red.
Pearl is now playing in theatres.
Directed by Ti West
Written by Ti West and Mia Goth
Starring Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro
Released 16 September 2022
102 minutes
Comments
Post a Comment