Pearl (2022)
While a strong backbone of support has been built around filmmaker Ti West over the course of his career, undeniably West's career took a turn with the release of X. Becoming one of the most celebrated films of the decade so far, X impressed many with its confident style and worthwhile thematic weight. X became a defining example of what the modern horror genre could be and naturally, many were excited when at the conclusion of the film it was revealed that West had already shot a prequel called Pearl. Focusing on the titular character's upbringing as she is forced to work on the family farm and only dreams of escaping away to some happiness, Pearl is another highly stylized outing from West that while respectable, never quite finds the same highs as X.
While X defined both its style and substance with that of the late 70s, Pearl changes tone with its focus being on that of the late 1910s. Taking a more technicolor visual style, it is safe to say that Pearl is yet another inspired cinematic outing for West when it comes to the actual filmmaking itself. From the crafted cinematography to the flow of dialogue, Pearl is a living and breathing period piece in the best of ways. However, West can only hold himself back for so long. The filmmaker clearly feels tempted and eventually gives in to making clear ties to films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and of course, any possible reference to the letter X is immediately jumped on. While the references specifically might not make a ton of sense considering the film's identity, for fans of the filmmaker it will feel like a charming reminder of West's love for the industry and his favorite films from it.
The evolution from X to Pearl is also a thematic one. X explored the transition from suburban morality to the sexual revolution of the 1980s, Pearl looks at the transition from the early 1900s to the Roaring 20s. The world that Pearl inhabits is one of pain. Stuck on a farm with her family, Pearl is isolated not just because of the rapidly spreading Spanish Flu, but also the promise to be there for her husband once he returns from fighting in World War I. This pain and suffering might take jabs at Pearl, but it has wrecked her family. With her father disabled and her mother at her wit's end for trying to keep the family together, a tremendous weight and pressure is put on Pearl to keep everything together and put her own ambitions to the side. Pearl needs an escape and like many during this time, she finds it in the new art of the moving picture. Sneaking to the local cinema to catch a matinee while she is in town getting her father's medicine, Pearl not only finds comfort in the cinema but also a road out. A road out of the town she lives in, away from the farm and her parents. Film is a road to happiness.
This should be a strong foundation for a wider thematic examination, but Pearl sadly drops the ball pretty big with its deeper messages. Unlike X, Pearl struggles to find a true purpose with the idea for the prequel clearly starting with the visuals that could be used rather than the story being told. What is eventually found is not only far from being a major breakthrough, but it also ends up feeling strange in the context of the franchise. In X, Pearl was an obviously flawed character that ultimately demanded empathy due to the impossible position she found herself in. Caught up in emotions of desire, lust, fear, and judgment, Pearl was complex. In her prequel, Pearl is a far simpler character to digest. While still demanding empathy, Pearl turns much more into a generic villain that ultimately takes some of the innocence away from the character that was so crucial to her standing within that film. While added elements such as the relationship she shares with her mom are overall strong, they also don't add anything needed to this character which also calls into question how much the film was needed as a prequel. The film can’t even really nail down its ties to the stresses and fears of a pandemic, something the world has actively dealt with for over 2-years now. This lack of direction and focus ultimately makes the film feel far hollower than its predecessor which especially is felt within its runtime. Much slower than X with a far less satisfying conclusion, Pearl borders on becoming taxing at multiple points within its 102-minute runtime.
The biggest success found within Pearl is once again Mia Goth. While the entire cast is incredibly strong, the subtlety of Matthew Sunderland and the venom of Tandi Wright demand recognition, make no mistake that once again this is Goth's film. Not just innocently charming but also absolutely wicked, the emotions and anger that Goth is able to pull from out of nowhere is stunning. She has an ability to spiral that is so believable it is actually almost scary. Especially towards the end, Goth steps it up even compared to what she did in X with one of the best monologues of the entire year. It is becoming clearer by the project that Goth truly is one of the best working actors today and hopefully, she can eventually get rewarded with some awards down the line.
Pearl is a film with undeniable style, but questionable substance. While Goth once again kills it, the film simply lacks that concrete identity and purpose when it comes to message to elevate it to the same level as X. While perhaps it is unfair to compare the film to its predecessor, the text itself draws the comparison every 5-minutes so the thought is only natural. West is undeniably a master when it comes to visual storytelling, but one has to hope he can craft something more meaningful than this for the third film in the franchise.
While X defined both its style and substance with that of the late 70s, Pearl changes tone with its focus being on that of the late 1910s. Taking a more technicolor visual style, it is safe to say that Pearl is yet another inspired cinematic outing for West when it comes to the actual filmmaking itself. From the crafted cinematography to the flow of dialogue, Pearl is a living and breathing period piece in the best of ways. However, West can only hold himself back for so long. The filmmaker clearly feels tempted and eventually gives in to making clear ties to films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and of course, any possible reference to the letter X is immediately jumped on. While the references specifically might not make a ton of sense considering the film's identity, for fans of the filmmaker it will feel like a charming reminder of West's love for the industry and his favorite films from it.
The evolution from X to Pearl is also a thematic one. X explored the transition from suburban morality to the sexual revolution of the 1980s, Pearl looks at the transition from the early 1900s to the Roaring 20s. The world that Pearl inhabits is one of pain. Stuck on a farm with her family, Pearl is isolated not just because of the rapidly spreading Spanish Flu, but also the promise to be there for her husband once he returns from fighting in World War I. This pain and suffering might take jabs at Pearl, but it has wrecked her family. With her father disabled and her mother at her wit's end for trying to keep the family together, a tremendous weight and pressure is put on Pearl to keep everything together and put her own ambitions to the side. Pearl needs an escape and like many during this time, she finds it in the new art of the moving picture. Sneaking to the local cinema to catch a matinee while she is in town getting her father's medicine, Pearl not only finds comfort in the cinema but also a road out. A road out of the town she lives in, away from the farm and her parents. Film is a road to happiness.
This should be a strong foundation for a wider thematic examination, but Pearl sadly drops the ball pretty big with its deeper messages. Unlike X, Pearl struggles to find a true purpose with the idea for the prequel clearly starting with the visuals that could be used rather than the story being told. What is eventually found is not only far from being a major breakthrough, but it also ends up feeling strange in the context of the franchise. In X, Pearl was an obviously flawed character that ultimately demanded empathy due to the impossible position she found herself in. Caught up in emotions of desire, lust, fear, and judgment, Pearl was complex. In her prequel, Pearl is a far simpler character to digest. While still demanding empathy, Pearl turns much more into a generic villain that ultimately takes some of the innocence away from the character that was so crucial to her standing within that film. While added elements such as the relationship she shares with her mom are overall strong, they also don't add anything needed to this character which also calls into question how much the film was needed as a prequel. The film can’t even really nail down its ties to the stresses and fears of a pandemic, something the world has actively dealt with for over 2-years now. This lack of direction and focus ultimately makes the film feel far hollower than its predecessor which especially is felt within its runtime. Much slower than X with a far less satisfying conclusion, Pearl borders on becoming taxing at multiple points within its 102-minute runtime.
The biggest success found within Pearl is once again Mia Goth. While the entire cast is incredibly strong, the subtlety of Matthew Sunderland and the venom of Tandi Wright demand recognition, make no mistake that once again this is Goth's film. Not just innocently charming but also absolutely wicked, the emotions and anger that Goth is able to pull from out of nowhere is stunning. She has an ability to spiral that is so believable it is actually almost scary. Especially towards the end, Goth steps it up even compared to what she did in X with one of the best monologues of the entire year. It is becoming clearer by the project that Goth truly is one of the best working actors today and hopefully, she can eventually get rewarded with some awards down the line.
Pearl is a film with undeniable style, but questionable substance. While Goth once again kills it, the film simply lacks that concrete identity and purpose when it comes to message to elevate it to the same level as X. While perhaps it is unfair to compare the film to its predecessor, the text itself draws the comparison every 5-minutes so the thought is only natural. West is undeniably a master when it comes to visual storytelling, but one has to hope he can craft something more meaningful than this for the third film in the franchise.