Image created using my screenshot from the movie and canva app.
Pearl is a movie I call a horror in disguise. Starting from the beginning of the movie, it didn't give me a hint of gore and bloody scenes to come. This movie is not like the horror films you have seen before, this is different. I will regard Pearl as a colorful horror movie which I will explain later below in the post.
Pearl is a psychological slasher film directed by Ti West, released in September 2022, and the prequel to the movie X (2022), the second installment in the X film series. I didn't know of this until @jcrodriguez told me. This movie was co-written by Mia Goth and Ti West and is set during the time of the influenza pandemic and World War 1 in 1918, in Texas. It starred Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, David Corenswet, and Emma Jenkins-Purro. It revolves around a young woman who dreams of becoming a star but is held back on a farm owned by her parents.
The movie started with Pearl living with her parents on a farm to help take care of her father who is sick and paralyzed while her husband, Howard was overseas, serving in World War 1. As Pearl kept longing to achieve her dream of becoming a movie Star, her mother Ruth, became harsh on her and nagged her to set her priorities straight. Ruth forces Pearl to take care of and clean up her father. Along the way, Pearl sees a local cinema and aspires to be a chorus girl and dancer but Ruth disapproves.
Afterward, Pearl began to show signs of mental deterioration as she killed a goose on the farm and began to abuse her paralyzed father. On a fateful day, Pearl was sent on an errand to get drugs for her father. On her way back she meets a projectionist who likes her. After her brief conversation with the projectionist, she went back home after she had danced with a scarecrow. Ruth noticed that the change from the money she gave Pearl earlier wasn't complete, she criticized her for it.
The next day, Misty, Pearl's sister-in-law visits them with her mother bringing food along. Misty informs Pearl about a dance audition that was coming up soon. Pearl sees it as a way for her to escape her circumstance in the farm. At night she sneaks out to see the projectionist where she confessed that she wished her family would just die. He encourages her to follow her dream. The next day during dinner Ruth discovered a program advertisement from Pearl's room, confronted her about it and they both got into a heated argument. From there that is where the horror of the movie began.
My Opinion About The Movie And Rating
I haven't seen X which was released before Pearl but I think this movie is one of the unique horror movies that will be talked about for a long time. This movie got a lot of positive reviews because of Mia Goth. As she fantasized to be a star in the plot of the movie, she did so as an actor in the movie. Mia's performance in this movie was off the hook. She was so into her role that one couldn't tell the difference between the real Mai and the fictional Pearl. I applaud her for her fantastic scriptwriting and acting. Also, I hope she gets the chance to be nominated for a big award because she deserves it and I bet afterward, her career in the filming industry is set for a big bang.
My favorite scene of this movie was towards the tail end when she did her last kill, followed by 7 mins of a monologue of Pearl expressing herself. I feel that scene was the most difficult because it takes so much dedication to actually pull that off and to behave like someone who has been insane for a while. Mia Goth pulled it off perfectly well and it was mesmerizing to watch.
Let's talk about the setting of this movie. Like I said earlier at the beginning of this post, Pearl is a colorful horror film. I said that because 90 percent of the scenes in the movie were shot during daylight. Every horrific scene was shot during daylight, with bright colors and bright sceneries. The nighttime scenes of this movie were minimal which just gives the audience a first-hand feel of how brutal accidents happen in daylight. Also, I love the fact that this movie was set during the influenza pandemic which correlates and is parallel with our own timeline. That was brilliant.
Rating this movie, I will give it 4.5 stars. I enjoyed this movie and how Mia Goth made every scene in this movie real and unique. Since I haven't watched X (2022), I will be watching it this week. I don't know how I missed the film but I am seeing it asap! Pearl is a unique and colorful psychological slasher film that's my opinion on this movie.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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