TIFF 2022 Review - 'Pearl' (2022)

A few months ago, after being gone for six years, Ti West (“The House of the Devil,” “The Innkeepers”) returned to the big screen with the A24-backed “X,” an ode to exploitation and Grindhouse cinema and an acutely-executed slasher. West wanted to make his rendition of a Tobe Hooper film, but with some provocation. Hence, he added a “Boogie Nights”-esque plot into the narrative, making it stand out for several reasons.

Not only did it feel like it was taken out from the late ’70s, but “X” also explored repressed passion and the slowly developing ache of aging through the juxtapositions between the impotent elderly and the riotous youth. After that film ended, everyone got a surprise. There was a surprising end credits sequence showing a teaser trailer for a prequel of the movie we just watched, “Pearl“— titled after the antagonist in “X.” And it looked even more bonkers and visually more playful than the gritty “Texas Chainsaw Massacre“-inspired nature of the sex-slasher.

An Ode to Technicolor and Hollywood’s Golden Age

“Pearl,” shot-in-secret, back-to-back, and on the exact location as “X,” has West being more mischievous and innovative than ever before — clever, one might also say. Instead of pulling his inspirations from the late ’60s and early ’70s genre films, this time around, they come from the pictures made during Hollywood’s Golden Age and the technicolor phenomena — “The Wizard of Oz,” “Psycho,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” “Sunset Boulevard,” and the melodramas of Douglas Sirk (“All That Heaven Allows,” “Magnificent Obsession”).

These inspirations are noticeable in both its stylistic presentation and thematic expression. In an interview, the director stated that this film is about “how the old Hollywood affected people,” and it seems fitting since the lingering passion for the cinematic arts that Pearl has remained with her until her last days. That’s why I mentioned Douglas Sirk; his melodramas contain some glorified repression portrayed in West and Goth’s collaborative script.

‘Pearl’ is distinctive enough to make its existence worthy…

Even if it’s the “second installment” of a trilogy, which its third part was announced after its ‘Midnight Madness’ screenings (titled “MaXXXine,” centering on Mia Goth’s character’s ventures in the ’80s), “Pearl” is distinctive enough to make its existence worthy and not feel only like a companion piece or a prequel. Most of the same themes are being tackled once again (the hopes of stardom, loneliness, the evil within us, and the aching for escape). However, they are tackled in such a way it can be treated as a standalone feature.

TIFF Teases a Third Installment – ‘MaXXXine’

A scene from “Pearl.” (Photo courtesy of TIFF).

Of course, there are easter eggs and quick winks to it via props, locations, and costumes. However, it isn’t necessary to watch “X” in order to enjoy this horror “fantasy-land” slasher. After having watched “Pearl,” I can say that it adds some new layers to the previously-released film. In some ways, it completes her story arc. It makes her decisions even more heartbreaking and brutal than on their own.

That is one of the reasons why this movie is fascinating. “Pearl” stands its own ground while adding value and thought to what came before. The tales of this lonely woman are broadened, and her repressed desires are still explored. Pearl’s ambition for success becomes an entrance for us to empathize with her, even though she’s a bad person. Nonetheless, Pearl later transitions into a twisted mentality that she can’t escape — a murderous rampage is bound to happen.

It isn’t necessary to watch ‘X’ in order to enjoy this ‘fantasy-land’ slasher…”

Although it may have some deficiencies in presenting these themes this time, West and Goth provide intriguing means to keep us holding to our dear hearts as Pearl descends into madness and ascends into her true self. What we see here now is a magnetic achievement by West and Goth that manages to transcend one’s expectations. For some, it may be an entertaining feature. But for us horror fans, this has all of what we could ask for when this sequel was announced.

Mia Goth is a Treasure in ‘Pearl’

Equally spooky, funny, and filled with dread, “Pearl” arrives with sharpened pitchforks, polished knives, dance sequences, and one piercing monologue that create one of the best horror experiences of the year. “I will not accept a life that I do not deserve” was the quote that Mia Goth’s second character in “X” constantly repeated. And these same words crawl into this film, set during the last year of World War I.

The film is set in the year 1918. It follows the titular lead character, played once again by this generation’s scream queen, the extraordinary Mia Goth. This setting is covered by a melancholic shadow caused by the Spanish Flu. It causes people to isolate in their homes. And when they go outside, they hide their faces under cloths. The people dream of escape, but it is more of a longing sensation rather than a hopeful one.

A scene from “Pearl” (Photo courtesy TIFF).

Everyone is hoping for a day of escape, one way or another, either from the pains of the war and flu or even the aspect of containment. Nevertheless, one thing is sure; it is brooding high amounts of dread. West uses this setting to reflect on the isolation caused by the outgoing pandemic that still worries plenty of us. Things tend to worsen as the days go by.

You Can’t Keep Your True Self Hidden

Pearl is a star in the making (or so she thinks). She wants to be in the new moving pictures, singing and dancing like Judy Garland. However, she’s stuck doing the dirty work on her family’s Texas farm — the same ranch where “X” was placed – while her young husband, Howard, is off fighting in the war. Her rigorous mother, written like an evil stepmother, Ruth (Tandi Wright), isn’t going to let her achieve her dreams of becoming a dancer, as she needs to take care of her ill father (Matthew Sutherland) and the farm.

Later, Pearl meets a cinema projectionist (David Corenswet), who encourages her to chase her wildest dreams. However, her family obligations are holding her desires back. As Maxine Minx quoted, “I will not accept a life that I do not deserve,” and Pearl lets go of her inner aching to be fueled by rage. Her inner Norman Bates makes an appearance.

…the film wouldn’t work at all if it wasn’t for Mia Goth’s dedication to the role and the power in her performance.”

Yet another quote expresses this that her mother tells her, “You can’t keep your true self hidden.” And we know that for a fact since Pearl and her husband brutally killed a bunch of young guns a few decades later without hesitation. Even in the brightest of landscapes, darkness covers the scenery in her frizzy presence. This often ends with blood in her hands and other people’s limbs chopped. Ti West not only ups the color-saturation to pastiche tiers but the gore as well. This is especially true in its bloody and highly-enjoyable third act.

‘Pearl;’ a Menacing Character Study

It is a menacing character study of a woman who just wants to be seen and her desires fulfilled, utilizing a horror landscape, which frequent West-cinematographer Eliot Rockett astonishingly shoots. It is the craving for pleasure, which in Pearl’s journey comes from ethical and sinful means.

“Pearl” is bloody good fun. (Photo courtesy of TIFF).

However, the film wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for Mia Goth’s dedication and the power in her performance. Once again, doing a dual performance, a balancing act between restraint and fury (fetter and angst), Goth is perilous in every scene, even in the “tamest” ones. She could be holding a smile for dear life or delivering a monstrous one-take monologue (just like Rebecca Hall did in Andrew Semans’ “Resurrection”); Goth is just a magnetic screen presence in every horror project she’s involved in. She makes doing a quick switch of emotions seem easy. At one moment, she could be optimistic and cheery, but then Goth shifts into an angsty diva state.

Ti West Outdoes Himself Again

Ti West outdid himself with “X.” In a few months, he bested himself once again with “Pearl.” It’s a magician’s trick to see him delivering two tonally and atmospherically different pictures one after the other. What unfolds, in the end, may not be as nasty or rude as the exhilarating “X.” Yet, it’s a character piece about a woman longing for a better life, one she could be happy with.

Evil taps Pearl on the shoulder, and she answers without thinking because it’s the only way to alleviate the pain. You see West making more creative decisions and playing with different scenarios rather than sticking to the same old tricks up his sleeve. He reinvents himself, and with that comes a gem of a horror picture. It’s a bloody good time and a showcase of Mia Goth’s wonderful talents. What will the third installment, “MaXXXine,” bring to the table? I don’t know. I just sense that it will be unique and blood-soaked, filled with references to the ’80s classics we adore.