Pearl (2022)

Pearl (2022)
Directed by: Ti West
Written by: Mia Goth, Ti West
Starring: David Corenswet, Matthew Sunderland, Mia Goth, Tandi Wright

PEARL
Directed by Ti West

Ti West movies are like buses: you wait nine years, then two come along. Pearl is the unexpected prequel to X and, despite being shot back-to-back and sharing a lead, the wonderful Mia Goth, it’s a very different beast. When we last saw Pearl she was a nightdress-clad pensioner with bloodlust, age-envy and aching loins. Hence when the would-be porn star Maxine (also Goth) and her young friends showed up to shoot a skin flick, it wasn’t long before she and her long-time impotent husband Howard got violent. Now, in this unexpectedly playful prequel, we get their backing story you never knew you wanted.

It’s 1918, at the tail end of the influenza pandemic, and a young farm girl Pearl fantasizes about life on the stage and the big screen. A natural-born performer, her miniture world can’t contain her massive ambitions. And with her husband Howard still off to war, she has little to occupy her, save for the animals, a strict German-immigrant mum Ruth (Wright), and an invalid dad (Sunderland) who needs constant care. Unfortunately, the humdrum of this life has left her a little mad, and when nobody’s looking Pearl’s taken to murdering livestock and dry-humping scarecrows. So all is right in the world when a slick projectionist (Corenswet), who tells romantic tales of Europe and introduces her to her first porno, says he can help her secure a big break. Sadly we know she’s still there decades later, so it can’t be that easy.

West often gets dismissed as a stylist, more concerned with paying homage to the great artists of yesteryear than speaking in his own unique voice. Pearl will do nothing to alleviate these criticisms, but even if it’s derivative, damn, is it good. Where his previous works recalled the 70s grindhouse and exploitation movement, Pearl is the golden age of cinema presented in glorious technicolour. Its colourful font, farmhouse setting, southern accents, weird cadence, and panoramics of rolling American pastures recall the films of the 30s. And though it sometimes leans too far into parody, it’s the sort of tribute your grandparents may take as an oldie – albeit a more twisted one than usual. In a particularly glaring obvious example, the titular character speaks to her animal friends about her need to leave in a dark take on Dorothy.

On that point, Pearl is (for the most part) an excellent creation. Granted, I found bits of the film too caricatured – with the contrast between the cutesy aesthetic and Pearl’s unhingedness undermining the more dramatic elements. Yet it’s such a tricky balance to get right since her innocence and a pluckiness make our lead a loveable underdog. She’s got to be mutually at home performing on haystacks with a pitchfork and using it as a weapon. A fantasy sequence, where she has her audition, gives a beautiful glimpse into her fragile mind and gives the shocking events which follow a real weight. There aren’t a lot of kills, but West makes each count by placing them at moments of heightened emotion and catharsis. When Pearl is at her most vulnerable, she’s also at her most vicious. It’s a careful balance perfectly encapsulated by a stunning third-act monologue where you’ll both want to hug her and run for your life. Goth, who co-wrote it, gets the character intensely and gives her tragicomic layers. And her facial acting is top notch: just look at the image below!

Fittingly for a film about films, there are many scenes where characters project their feelings, e.g., Pearl translating her doubts about herself into anger at others. Likewise, Ruth, arguably the real villain of the piece, forces her obvious dissatisfaction with how her life has turned out on her daughter and husband. Both parents put up excellent performances – particularly Matthew Sunderland, who is limited to only a few facial movements. In centering the film around its characters and their dysfunctional relationships, West has his most satisfying script to date. It’s also arguably his best film, capable of making people laugh, cry and wince within the same sequence. As a sucker for horrors with flawed protagonists and coming-of-age elements, this is up there with May as the best of the millennium so far. A countryside Carrie that shows a confident grasp of the genre as well as the history of cinema more broadly. Word is there’s a third in development: MaXXXine. I’d be keen to see it. Based on X and Pearl, it seems like we’re going to get a trilogy about sexual liberation, the optimism of youth, and the seductiveness of the Hollywood dream. These are all big themes, and ones I’d love to see him return to. Hopefully it won’t be long.

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