Shot back-to-back, Ti West is back with
Pearl
(2022), a prequel to
X
(2022) and origin story for the villainous Pearl. However, rather than continuing with a 70s slasher aesthetic, West trades that in for a technicolor palette reminiscent of films like
Gone with the Wind
(1940) and
The Wizard of Oz
(1938). Even the opening credits capture the colorful landscape, a sign that adventure, hope and the American Dream are out there. However, like Pearl herself, the colorful backdrop only serves as a curtain to the horror that lies behind it.
West takes the audience 60 years before the events of
X
to 1918 Texas, a time ravaged by the Spanish Flu and Great War. The audience follows Pearl, a fame-thirsty, horny and impulsive serial killer, as she attempts to escape her life as a farmer’s daughter and break into a career in the pictures. She practices her dance routine, in which we see her gracefully perform in
X
, living in a fantasy away from the bleak reality caused by an overbearing mother and husband away at war. Living at home, Pearl is forced to take care of her crippled father all while under the watch of her mother. She prays every night for her husband, Howard, to return from the war. Plagued with loneliness and sexual repression, Pearl wants to escape her family farm and suffocating life, which she does by escaping into her cheerful fantasies. However, one can only take so much. Slowly, she grows mad, ultimately climbing up the food chain from goose killer to human killer.
Although the kills are not as brutal as in its predecessor,
X
,
Pearl
is just as terrifying in its own way. This fear is elicited by the unpredictable nature of the titular character who seems like she is going to snap at any second. What was remarkable about
Pearl
was Mia Goth’s award-worthy winning performance. One minute, Goth turns Pearl into a childish character; the next, she becomes seductive, and finally, a homicidal maniac. Goth’s most powerful performance in the film comes when Pearl is having difficulties navigating reality as she knows it versus the world everyone else sees. There is a moment in the film where, despite knowing full well the ruthless villain she becomes, the audience can’t help but sympathize with her. When watching
X
again, it’s difficult to not pity Pearl despite how evil she is. Ultimately, it’s hard to not see Pearl as a sheltered girl who simply doesn’t know how to cope with reality. Mia Goth’s performance perfectly encapsulates that character essence through her body language and facial expressions. Again, without spoiling too much, Goth’s final performance of Pearl’s monologue brings her character home, turning her from a villain to a misunderstood and broken young woman.
Like the 70s aesthetic West approached
X
with, combining classic slasher and modern day horror movie tropes, the decision to combine the technicolor, transitions and music of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and pays homage to that era in cinema and modern horror tropes makes Pearl a good horror movie to watch. However, make no mistake; the film is violent and bloody, almost like
The Wizard of Oz
crawled straight out of hell.
Overall,
Pearl
is a origin story, allowing the audience to learn more about the character when revisiting
X
. If you are a fan of Golden Age Hollywood or slasher and horror flicks,
Pearl
is definitely a worthwhile watch. If you are looking for a good time with friends, the film is now out in theaters. Afterwards, maybe you should save that walk down G-Road for another time.
