Pearl

2022 A24

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 43min

Horror ~ Drama ~ Thriller

Directed by: Ti West

Starring: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, and Matthew Sunderland.

“I know what I’ve done. Bad things. Terrible, awful, murderous things. I regret them now, but I liked how they felt. Felt good. Killing’s easier than you’d think.”

Mia Goth stars as Pearl who is living on a farm in Texas with her German parents. It is 1918 and her husband Howard is away in Europe as a soldier in WWI. Her father has been stricken with the Influenza pandemic and Pearl and her mother do their best to stay isolated on the farm and take care of him. The loneliness and isolation have started to take a toll on Pearl, who dreams of nothing more than running away to be a Chorus Line Dancer. Or perhaps a Hollywood Movie star, anything but the dreadful existence isolated on the farm taking care of her sick daddy.

Pearl was pregnant with Howard’s child and right before he left for Europe, she lost the child. The Miscarriage of the baby, and then Howard leaving her alone on the farm to deal with the emotional fallout of the loss, affects her mental state greatly. She starts killing small animals and feeds them to the alligator in the pond she named Theda. She starts abusing her elderly sick Dad and wishes he would die. Mama too….She wishes for nothing more than to be a star far, far away from that dreadful farm. And as the movie progresses you can see the mental illness grow, fester and come boiling to the surface with horrific consequence.

The movie from the very beginning looks like the Wizard Of Oz in technicolor. Upon doing some research I found that is exactly what the director had in mind. He achieved that goal by far. It is a juxtaposition to the horror unfolding within Pearl and on the farm. There is blood, and there is gore, but it is minimal compared to your average horror slasher movie. It is instead more psychological, your horror grows as you watch Pearl unravel right before your eyes in a downward spiral of emotion and violence.

Pearl is part of a trilogy written by the director Ti West. The first installment was X, followed by Pearl and the just released Maxxxine. There is some debate as to the order in which to watch the trilogy movies. The director says in the order they were released; X, Pearl and then Maxxine. But there are those who say you should watch Pearl before you watch X and then Maxxxine. That in doing so you will get a better understanding of X, as Pearl is a prequel to X.

I can’t wait to watch X and Maxxxine, and I think I made the right choice in watching Pearl before X. Mia Goth stars in all three movies. This is my first introduction to Mia Goth and her horrifying gothic talent and I am immediately a fan for life. Mia Goth’s performance is extraordinary. Mia Goth is the movie. What she pulls out of her emotive being to express on screen with her facial expressions and emotions is incredible.

Pearl isn’t for everyone. But it is a first class psychological horror film well done.