PEARL

 

Shot back-to-back with “X”, Ti West surprised the film world when he revealed (via an end of credits teaser) that he had already completed a prequel to the film, this time focused on the early years of “X's” villain, which was to be appropriately titled “Pearl”. In today's world of twenty four hour information, it is increasingly rare for filmmakers to pull off a surprise such as this without it being leaked. The story goes that while in their compulsory two week quarantine period before being allowed to enter New Zealand to shoot “X”, Mia Goth and director Ti West came up with a prequel story while communicating daily via Skype. They were so pleased with the results that they decided to speak to A24 and propose the idea of shooting both films back-to-back, which the production house agreed to.

Imdb describes “Pearl” like so: “Trapped on her family's isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a more glamorous life like she's seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations and repressions all colliding in this origin story of “X's” iconic villain”.

Right off the top, you should know that “Pearl” is nothing like its predecessor, “X”. In that earlier film, director Ti West came up with a dirty, grimy grindhouse slasher, whereas with “Pearl” he has created a very dark character study of a dreamer and the darkness that forms within her when her dreams are ultimately crushed. While still very much a horror film, “Pearl” plays out more like a deranged drama – and it is absolutely glorious! The best word to describe “Pearl” is disturbing; it really burrows in deep and gets under your skin, but rarely in an aggressive fashion. The fact that the majority of the film is done in a quiet manner makes it all the more disturbing, because when it does explode in brief flashes of violence or intense verbal altercations, these moments hit that much harder.

Stylistically the film is also completely different to “X”. Gone are the grainy grindhouse aesthetics, replaced by a bright, bold Technicolor look reminiscent of those large Hollywood movies from the 30's and 40's such as “The Wizard of Oz” or “Gone With The Wind”. This time around Ti West is aping the look of those big budget Hollywood melodramas, with “Pearl” bursting with colour from start to finish. West and his cinematographer Eliot Rockett have created a stunningly beautiful film here, filled with perfectly composed widescreen images. It is quite a trick showing the same locations of a previous film and making it look and feel so different, but with the red barn, yellow corn fields, bright blue sky and green grass combined, it creates eye candy for the viewer, while never looking anything like something from “X” (despite being the exact same place). The only negative I have about the look of “Pearl” (and I say this with tongue planted firmly in my cheek) is that with the story taking place in 1918, the movie era that West is imitating is clearly not of this period, and it really should have been shot as a silent film, but I am sure there is no way A24 would have green lit this film if that was the case, as it would've been commercial suicide. Besides, who really cares when the end result that we have onscreen is so bloody impressive!

Whilst the film is filled with a number of interesting characters, this time around the focus of “Pearl” is really on one character, with Mia Goth once again excelling above and beyond with the younger rendition of her titular character. I thought she was fantastic in “X” but she is next-level good here in “Pearl”, so much so that if the Academy Award members had any balls, I think she deserves to at least be nominated for her performance here. Goth has an uncanny ability in giving Pearl a naivety or innocence to her and then turning the mood towards the disturbing or sinister in a second. It doesn't even have to be via an aggressive action (which does happen on occasion too) but rather by a certain look or a simple inflection in her voice while delivering a line. The best example of this is when she is talking to her friend, who works as a cinema projectionist, and who is trying to convince Pearl to follow her dreams because “we only get one go at life”. Pearl absentmindedly replies “...if only they would just die”, talking about her parents and unconsciously revealing her true feelings, before she catches herself, so when he says “Pardon?”, she follows up with the most innocent of deliveries of the word “nothing”. Different from “X”, “Pearl” requires a more internal performance from Goth this time around, due to the fact that she is so often alone, fantasising or living in her dreams, and she has no problem at all at delivering this.

West gives Goth so many moments to shine in “Pearl” such as her brilliant dance with a scarecrow which starts out innocently enough before suddenly turning much more sexual and disturbing. It is a telling moment, which exposes just how messed up Pearl may be, and the thoughts that her repressed mind is constantly fighting against. Her big audition scene, which is probably the most important for her character in finally achieving her dream or failing altogether, is presented as a fantasy vs reality situation as the scene is inter-cut with how Pearl imagines her audition is going (which, unsurprisingly, is like a big budget Hollywood musical), with exactly how it is, and it ends on the most heartbreaking, guttural reaction from Goth. The way West has put together this scene, combining the energy, fun and intense movement of a musical, and then ending it on the saddest, most soul-crushing note, is simply phenomenal.

The above scenes are fantastic but no doubt the stand out scene of the film is Pearl's already famous six minute monologue, which Mia Goth performs in a single unbroken take, during the film's finale. In the scene, Pearl is persuaded by her sister-in-law to take down those walls, confide in her and finally talk about how she “really” feels, after Pearl makes the brave admission to her that she “thinks something is real wrong with me”. Pearl is hesitant at first, unsure how her sister-in-law will react, but she relaxes into it the more she goes on, finally lifting this heavy emotional burden she has been carrying for so long. However, it turns out that Pearl is truly messed up and the things she talks about and the things she has done are horrific. West never takes his camera off of Goth's face as Pearl goes through a number of different emotional states while talking. The brilliance of this scene though is because we never leave Pearl, we are not privy to the reaction from the listener of her story, which can only be one of shock, horror, repulsion and fear. This creates an amazing level of suspense because you sense that everything will change from this moment on, and not for the good of anyone not named Pearl. It is a brilliant, brilliant scene that also ends on a chilling line from Pearl: “it's not about what I want anymore, it's about making the best of what I've got”, which may not sound like much, but in the state of mind Pearl is in, and the context of how she says it, it is downright scary.

Besides the total brilliance of Mia Goth, there is still so much more that I love in “Pearl”, not least the inclusion of the Spanish Flu pandemic into the storyline, which makes historical sense with the events of the film taking place in 1918, but which also gives audiences a reference point to hold on to and understand after our own recent pandemic, with numerous characters wearing masks when out in public due to the fear of catching the disease. Like “X”, this is a well acted film across the board, but I was most impressed by Tandi Wright who plays Ruth, Pearl's very strict and domineering German mother. Wright delivers the majority of her dialogue in German, which apparently was a language she didn't speak a word of prior to shooting the film, but you wouldn't know it, as she is so commanding in the role. She is so believable and importantly has the ability to go toe-to-toe with Goth and not be overpowered by her in their scenes together. Another thing that I loved was the demented final family dinner scene, although I will admit that this kind of thing is becoming a little cliched now in horror films. Speaking of the finale, Ti West ends “Pearl” on a single shot of Mia Goth smiling while the credits roll. However the shot is not freeze framed, rather West has Goth hold her smile throughout the whole shot, which makes the effect more and more messed up and creepy the longer it goes on.

While “Pearl” is a prequel to “X”, you do not need to have seen the previous film to enjoy it, however after watching “Pearl”, it does makes “X” a much richer film, as little details or moments that occur in “Pearl” are actually referenced later in “X” (such as the submerged car, or the reason why Pearl hates blondes), but which mean nothing until you have seen “Pearl”. One aspect that I loved that Ti West included was a connection to pornography which plays so much importance in “X”, as Pearl is shown an illegal stag film by her projectionist friend. When Pearl asks if such a thing is legal, he says “one day it will be”.

Overall, I absolutely loved “Pearl” and thought it was a fantastically disturbing character study about a very sad character, exposing the dark side of the “American Dream”. Ti West has created his best film yet, with Mia Goth giving an Academy Award worthy performance (truly!), whilst visually “Pearl” is absolutely stunning. I was so impressed by the way West was able to create two films in the same “universe” and make them so different from one another, whilst still keeping them connected. It is a stunning achievement, and I've got good company in my praise as none other than Martin Scorsese himself recently spoke off just how effective “Pearl” was, and that days after seeing it, he was still thinking about it. Since “Pearl” was released, Ti West and A24 have announced that they are making a third part of this story, this time titled “MaXXXine”, and focusing on Mia Goth's character from “X”, with West promising it to be done in a completely different visual style again from the first two films. Unfortunately, “MaXXXine” has yet to be made, but after the outstanding success that is “Pearl”, I cannot wait.

4 Stars.

(with the caveat that I have only watched “Pearl” the once so far, and expect that on a re-watch that this score may increase to 4.5 Stars.)