It takes a lot to be a star, and nowhere does that seem more evident than in Ti West’s (“In a Valley of Violence,” “The House of the Devil”) latest horror flick, “Pearl”, a prequel to “X” from earlier this year. Following the titular Pearl, the antagonist from “X” in her younger years, it shows her truly fall off the deep end and transform from unassuming, if a bit obsessive, farm girl to a murderous psychopath. That’s show biz for you.
Pearl is once again played by Mia Goth (“A Cure for Wellness,” “Emma (2020)”) who, once again, absolutely excels here. There’s a kind of twisted emotion to Pearl that makes her easy to pity. Sure, killing a bunch of people isn’t the way to get what you want, but its not a movie that ever demonizes her. Rather, it spends an ample amount of time focusing on her fractured psyche, making it easy to see why she turned out the way she did. Goth, who also co-wrote this film with West, is the lynchpin of it all and it would crumble without her very specific kind of crazed performance.
The rest of the cast is great, but none hold a candle to Goth and a result they actually become somewhat forgettable thanks to the commanding nature of her performance. Tandi Wright (“Black Sheep,” “Love and Monsters”) and Ruth, Pearl’s mother, is a controlling force of nastiness, and David Corenswet (“The Politician,” “We Own This City”) does a great job playing with the All-American Boy and Bohemian lifestyle stereotypes. If anyone stands out amongst the supporting cast, is Emma Jenkins-Purro (“One of Us is Lying”) as Mitsy, as her opinion of Pearl is hard to navigate, making for an intriguing dynamic between the two.
Like “X” though, the film does feel unbalanced. “Pearl” is at its most interesting after its main character cracks, sending her spiraling down her rampage. Goth leads us that way, and it becomes a fascinating journey as we wait to see just how long it will take. The pacing of it all is excellent, and its definitely an unexpected journey to say the least. However, the first half of the film is just less interesting. It is chocked full of hints, details, and suggestions for Pearl’s eventual spiraling, but it also feels like the same kind of routine “angry mom, rebellious daughter” plot that’s been done to death.
One of the strongest aspects besides Goth, the film’s production design and “Old Hollywood” vibes, also don’t fully hit until the latter half. They’re still present throughout the film, but the highlights such as Pearl dancing like she’s in a USO show don’t hit until she’s gone cuckoo. The saturated colors and tributes to classic cinema are all fantastically woven into the film, and it creates an atmosphere that’s unlike pretty much any other horror film in recent memory, even “X.” The ending title card alone, set against Tyler Bates (“Sucker Punch,” “John Wick”) and Tim Williams’s (“We Summon the Darkness,” “Creepshow (2019)”) haunting score, is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Really though, the
entire film is wrapped around Goth’s and Pearl’s finger, and therefore it’s a
bit of a make-or-break experience. With “X”, there was a larger cast of
characters to attach to, but if you don’t like Pearl the character, you simply
won’t like “Pearl” the movie. Those that do will find a legitimately creative
and technicolor twist on the spiral into madness movie, with a lead performance
and last half that truly goes for broke. It hasn’t been this good to go mad in
a long time 3.5/5
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