Scary movie season continues with the A24 Film Pearl.
A24 masterpiece, “Pearl,” is Ti West’s follow-up and prequel to “X.” This time, Mia Goth focuses solely on her role as Pearl 60 years before the original film. Set in 1918 during the First World War and the Spanish Flu pandemic, the sight of people in face masks and coughing fits will remind current audiences of the struggles of the ongoing pandemic.
The core of this film is Pearl’s descent from an insecure young wife and farmhand with wide-eyed dreams of Hollywood stardom into a sociopathic killer. She wants to escape the prison of dull farm life and achieve fame, but her family stands in her way. First, there’s her ailing, invalid father, who requires round-the-clock care. Her demanding German mother chastises her and her ambitions. She also feels abandoned by her husband, who she claims “chose” to join the war overseas instead of whisking her away from the domestic life she’s always known.
The most exciting parts of Pearl are watching its looming connections to “X” unfold. It becomes evident that her life in the second story is a hell of her creation. You know your prequel has done its job when it makes the original movie even scarier. Pearl is not a 70’s slasher flick. Instead, it depicts a young woman’s descent into madness and the nightmare it creates for the people around her.
The movie’s high points are Mia Goth’s monologues, in one of which she begs a panel of judges for a part at an audition, with her entire future riding on it. The audience can see just how far she has plunged into insanity. The next one is a prolonged scene where she uses her sister-in-law as a vessel to communicate with her husband, who is currently overseas. She chastises him for leaving and confesses her various violent crimes and tendencies. It is a haunting scene that should be remembered come awards season.
Verdict
I give Pearl a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Pearl is entirely different than its predecessor X as Mia Goth puts on an Oscar-worthy performance. It is now playing in theaters. Do you Vouch for it? Read more Reviews on Nerdtropolis and Subscribe to our YouTube.
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