While working on 2022’s X, writer-director Ti West worked with actress Mia Goth on a prequel story. Inspired by the impact COVID-19 had on cinema, West started production of the prequel immediately after the first film. Much to West’s surprise, A24 agreed to green-light both projects. It helped that X grossed $15 million against a $1 million budget and earned rave reviews from critics and audiences. For the prequel, A24 gave West an $8 million budget, which he started filming in March 2021. Alongside Mia Goth, the rest of the cast included David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, and Matthew Sunderland. Much of the crew had just come from working on Avatar: The Way of Water and had undergone safety precautions. West finished editing and recording the soundtrack after the original film’s premiere at SXSW in 2022. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Pearl hit theaters nationwide in September 2022.
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Synopsis
Pearl (Mia Goth) is a lowly farm girl who dreams of leaving her family home to become a big star. Unfortunately, she and her domineering mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright), are stuck caring for her ailing father (Matthew Sunderland). On top of that, Pearl’s husband, Howard (Alistair Sewell), is off serving in World War One. Feeling isolated and abandoned, Pearl starts showing signs of psychopathy: killing animals, abusing her father, and masturbating with a scarecrow. It doesn’t help that she has a secret affair with a local projectionist (David Corenswet), who she confides in. Opportunity comes when Pearl’s sister-in-law Mitsy (Emma Jenkins-Purro) tells her about an audition for a statewide dance troupe. Pearl sees this as her ticket off the farm and will do anything to get it, even murder. Soon, the whole world will know her name no matter how many people have to die.
Review
A prequel is rarely as good as the original, especially when both come out in the same year. The only other time something similar happened was when both Breakin’ movies came months apart in 1984. While Pearl doesn’t have breakdancing, a funky soundtrack, or a memeable subtitle, it’s still a great companion piece to X. As a prequel, the movie gives you great insight into the murderous wench that terrorizes the young pornographers decades later. As a standalone movie, it’s a great character study of a young woman with great aspirations plagued by psychotic tendencies. You can also sense Ti West’s love of cinema with the stylized colors and meticulous attention to detail. West and his crew perfectly capture the Old Hollywood feel with its vibrant color scheme, wide-angle shots, and classical score. Granted, it’s slightly anachronistic since the film takes place in 1918, but that’s easy to overlook.
Like the original film, Mia Goth is the biggest highlight as she gives a career-defining performance as young Pearl. She can be warm, cheerful, sad, vulnerable, and even chilling and sinister, sometimes in the same scene. You sometimes want her to succeed and stand up to her overbearing mother to become a star. But then, there are moments when you dread what she will do next and are genuinely terrified of her. A real showcase of Goth’s talent as an actress is a 7-minute-long speech where the camera focuses solely on her. It’s genuinely mesmerizing as this character simultaneously breaks down everything she’s feeling without interruptions, experiencing various emotions one after another. Another great example is during the end credits, where there’s one static shot of her trying to maintain a smile. It perfectly encapsulates everything about the character all in one sequence.
As great as Goth’s performance is, that’s not to say the rest of the cast isn’t on par with her. Tandi Wright is appropriately chilling and stern as Pearl’s overbearing mother, who sees the truth in her troubled daughter. David Corenswet is also memorable as the projectionist, whose suave charm and carefree attitude entice Pearl to escape the farm. While he has no lines, Matthew Sunderland still does a great job conveying a sense of dread about his situation. While the original film had plenty of gruesomely bloody kills, this one doesn’t have as many overly gory kills. Still, the kills are done in a way that makes them equally disturbing just by how suddenly they happen. Despite whether you prefer this film over the original, this is an excellent horror movie in the purest sense. Overall, Pearl is a solid prequel and a great standalone film for horror fans.
Buy Pearl from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xSE8AH.
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