Pearl
Director: Ti West
Writer: Ti West, Mia Goth
Prequel to: X
Cast: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell, Amelia Reid
Part of: SLASH 1/2 Filmfestival
Seen on: 6.5.2023

Plot:
Pearl (Mia Goth) lives with her very strict mother (Tandi Wright) and her sick father (Matthew Sunderland) on a remote farm. She dreams of the return of her fiancé who had to go to war, but even more than that, she dreams of a career as a dancer, or an actress, or any other kind of star. And of the love that comes with it. But something is off about Pearl, and it is doubtful how much rejection she can actually take.

I was not a huge fan of X (loved the first half of it, but not the rest), so I was a little hesitant about Pearl. I have to say that I liked Pearl overall better than X, but it didn’t really manage to blow me away either.

Pearl is not the kind of film that you should look at too closely in terms of plausibility or realism (with maybe the biggest question: how would Pearl manage her, let’s say, hobby for decades without being found out?). That’s just not the point here – it’s much more a character study that ponders the question how much repression a person can take, and how much they might need.

Thus, the film is aptly titled Pearl: it’s all about her and her inner life. Mia Goth takes the opportunity to showcase her many skills (and it feels so much more fitting here than in Infinity Pool, it was quite a relief). It works for the most part – with some really standout moments, like the hauting, uncomfortable last shot that stretches through the credits, or the scene with the scarecrow.

But the film also feels kind of empty and hopeless at times. I was always wondering about whether that would be all we’re getting – and it usually was. There is this nagging feeling that the film could have been more with only a few changes (though I couldn’t tell you what that more would have been or how the film would have gotten there).

In any case, the film is a good watch has some nice moments and good kills, even if it sometimes veers a little too close to the absurd. I have definitely seen worse, but I wouldn’t say that you need to run out and see it.

Summarizing: fine.