Pearl
Mia Goth as Pearl in Pearl
Half a year since its general release in the USA, Pearl is finally out in UK cinemas. Filmed back-to-back with Ti West’s X, Pearl follows the origin and downward spiral of X’s elderly – but deadly – villain. With MaXXXine, X’s sequel, expected to begin filming soon, West has conceived a horror trilogy in a remarkably quick period. Despite Pearl’s best efforts, it never soars to any sincere heights as a horror or thriller outside of expanding on the lore of the previous instalment. That said, it’s worth seeing for Mia Goth’s outrageously brilliant performance that would have Leatherface shaking in his apron.
It’s 1918, Pearl (Mia Goth) lives on her small Texas farmland with her overbearing mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright), and her sickly father (Matthew Sunderland). Pearl has one dream, an American dream, in mind: being a big-time chorus girl star. Pearl has a knack for dancing, unwavering confidence, a charming smile, and … murderous tendencies. What’s not to like?
Like X, Pearl has the DNA of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre flowing through its veins, and you can see the imprint it has stylistically (especially during that last scene). However, Pearl also possesses a bright, technicolour Wizard of Oz feel, leaning into the pursuit of dreams commonplace in golden-age Hollywood cinema. The happy, bright nature lends as a pale, uncanny juxtaposition to the more disturbing moments that Pearl possesses. Believe me when I say the scariest moment of the film is the closing credits. West might’ve created a thousand-yard stare that will last in notoriety, toe-to-toe with Patrick Bateman or even Norman Bates.
Mia Goth’s performance is, no sugar-coating it, award-worthy. Both in joy and pain, Goth fully absorbs this character into a truly terrifying spectacle. You can feel the rage and sadness of Pearl as she experiences isolation and rejection, from family and lovers. So much so, that you sincerely feel for her. It doesn’t help that she butchers everyone that’s indifferent to her, true, yet we still feel her emotions as palpable and relatable. There’s a fantastic long-winded (in all the best ways) monologue in the third act that will have your eyes glued to the screen, Goth’s that good!
It's bittersweet: Goth carries the film with such strength that maybe we’re neglecting the rest of it being, simply... just okay? When I watched X, I was left sufficiently entertained, sure, but a little cold when examining the horror elements. Homage works well, and it works in Pearl too, to an extent – there needs to be thrills, tension, and fear. The bells and whistles are all there, but Pearl, the film, is not nearly as good of a horror to match Pearl, the villain (or drama, even).
I admire the effort here, Ti West’s love for the genre has genuinely extracted a lightning-in-a-bottle performance out of Mia Goth, and Pearl is more than worth seeing for that alone.
Pearl is in UK cinemas now.
