Pearl (2022) Movie Review – Mia Goth reprises her role in subversive slasher
Mia Goth reprises ‘Pearl’s part in the subversive horror slasher
Following the success of the erotic terror film “X A24 teams for a second time with the director Ti West to bring out Pearl, an origin story prequel to X that sheds a spotlight on the deeply suppressed and terrifying personality that is Pearl (Mia Goth who also wrote the script along with West).
It’s an amazing feat to release both films so close together. They interact with each other on multiple levels. We won’t give away the plot of the X however Goth is prominently featured in both films. In the film, Pearl Goth, she’s the title character and appears to be younger than the older woman in the film X. It’s 1918 and not 1979. Pearl’s Texas farm, like the other people in this world, is dealing with the devastating effects on the farm from World War I and the Spanish influenza epidemic. But Pearl’s mind is on neither of them, while she pursues her dream to become a well-known dancer.
West’s crew was reported to have had just three and a half months to transform the same location into a brand new location that was in existence sixty years before The events in the film. It’s the exact house that we see in the original film of the horror franchise. It’s just more elegant and is made more so with the use of high-gloss technicolor, which evokes an Oz-inspired romanticization of the gruesome scene.
Pearl will be primarily about repression as well as the dangers of romanticization – the rejection of reality in the name of false “perfection.” Though war and a pandemic have devastated all over the globe, her favorite film has nothing to have to do with the harsh realities of today. Pearl is in love with pictures of showgirls dancing. “There’s no room for even the tiniest lack of precision,” she says about the dancers in their troupe, and she imagines being part of something like it.
However, Pearl isn’t exactly fitting the description of one of the showgirls. The directors of casting prefer to cast someone “more American,” “more blonde.” But most certainly not one with Pearl’s lust for a woman in the current time.
Although Pearl’s favorite film may show her desire to be normal (i.e. perfect) However, a movie presented to her by the gorgeous projectionist (David Corenswet) will reveal her deepest and darkest desires. The film is sexually explicit and has subliminal violence. The outward depiction of these hidden desires is exciting to Pearl who must suppress these desires inside her because of her strict upbringing from her strict mother (Tandi Wright) and the harsh standards for women during this time.
However, this perfect state can’t be sustained for a long time The film is a gruesome look at the ways that people fall apart when they are pressed for long enough. A scene in the film shows Pearl is seen with a large nervous smile (reminiscent of Jocelyn’s uneasy smile as seen in The Greener Grass the perfect suburbia). Pearl is tired of maintaining an appearance that is flawless, but she’s playing the role of.
Goth is a delicate balance with her character. She is a Disney Princess and the villain between the innocence of Dorothy and the evil witch. If you’re interested in understanding the motivations behind most Disney villains, in fact, avoid all remakes and see the original Pearl instead. West and Goth perfectly convey the tense contrast between evil and good by making numerous allusions in The Wizard of Oz and an overall reference to the sassy quality of the old Disney films (We discuss more of that in the Pearl Ending: Explained piece).
Pearl’s frankly psychological tale will not appeal to every person. It’s still a slasher for sure, but the movie isn’t as much about the gore and horrors, rather it’s about Pearl’s haunting personal journey. It’s a shame, considering that more grisly scenes would have been appropriate to accompany Pearl’s descent into the darkness.
However, the fact that the camera is removed from its subjects when they are dead could be a clue about Pearl’s themes even more. It’s a terrifying world that our lives are in. However, it’s less painful when we put things in technicolor and look at the world from a distance.
Find More Information: Pearl Ending Explained
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