Trapped on an isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the watch of her mother. Lusting for the glamorous life she’s seen in movies, Pearl’s temptations and repressions collide in the new movie from Ti West which is a sequel to the movie X (2022).
A while back I finally watched X (2022) in October of last year and after delving deeper I was intrigued that Ti West was bringing us a trilogy of movies with Mia Goth portraying two of the characters Maxine and Pearl. The new movie opens up with some brilliant credits that harken back to the days of early cinema style with the writing on the screen and it starts very much like the first film as the camera moves towards the barn doors as they open up onto the farm.
This prequel to X moves from 1979 and takes us back to 1918 as we see Pearl living with her parents on the Farm during the influenza (Spanish Flu) outbreak, her mother tries to keep her home as the fear of the “bug” that has already infected Pearl’s Father (Matthew Sunderland) will also get Pearl, but there is more to her worries and as the film progresses we can see that Pearl isn’t someone that is 100% and she certainly has some issues which we are shown in the opening the sequence of the movie as she dreams of being famous and has a rather evil streak!
Pearl (Goth) tries to escape her reality of life via the cinema in the town, she finds an interest in the projectionist (David Corenswet) and seals his fate as she embarks on becoming a serial killer to get what she hopes to have, suffices to say some of the killings are brutal and somewhat gruesome.
Ti West and Mia Goth have certainly brought us another chapter in the trilogy that takes you on a journey of not just the horror that Pearl is capable of, but it also brings to light the issue of mental health that Pearl is suffering from, she needs help and the only help she is getting is from her mother (Tandi Wright) who tries to keep her home and away from others as she knows what she is capable of.
The cinematography and costume design looks great in Pearl and the look of the film with its 35mm film print gives it a grainy and aged look, so it’s not as crisp looking as most digital movies, but this works brilliantly for the feel of the movie that is set in the early 1900s when it comes to the soundtrack that also sounds great from Tyler Bates and Tim Williams.
After a re-watch of X (2022) the other day in preparation for the Cineworld Unlimited Screening of Pearl, the first movie was fresh in my mind and I have to say that it’s hard to say which one I prefer over the other, but X was a little more brutal than Pearl, but the star of the movie has to be Mia Goth, she is brilliant to watch as her descent into madness slow burns throughout the movie until we get to a point that she is wielding an axe in sheer horror!
Does Pearl have a post-credits scene?
There is no post-credits scene in Pearl, instead, we get a long shot of Pearl (Hoth) looking at the camera as the credits roll, the scene is disturbing but it shows the change and the realisation of what she has done and the reality hitting home.
Now the wait is on for the third movie MaXXXine which follows Maxine, who was the only survivor of the bloody incidents of X, as she continues her journey towards fame to be an actress in the 1980s, Los Angeles. As of yet, there isn’t a release date for the movie, but we are keeping our eyes peeled.
MaXXXine Teaser Trailer
Pearl was released n UK cinemas on the 17th of March and will be heading to Blu-ray, DVD and on Digital on June 19th, if you haven’t seen X yet then you can stream it on Amazon Prime.
An X-traordinary origin story
Movie title: Pearl (2022)
Movie description: In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.
Date published: March 14, 2023
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 43m
Director(s): Ti West
Actor(s): Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright,
Genre: Horror
Summary
Pearl is a slow burner that takes us on a journey of the origins of Pearl from X (2022) in the X-trilogy from Ti West.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
