Movie Review: Pearl
By Chantal Chabla Urgiles ('26)
Recently I watched Pearl, a prequel to the movie X, both films were produced in 2022 by director Ti West. Trapped on an isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the watchful eye of her mother. Lusting for the glamorous life she's seen in movies, Pearl's temptations and repressions collide.
If you have seen both movies you would know the life of Pearl is shown before the events that occur in X. We see how Pearl establishes this in the first act by capturing the same scene used in X, but using a completely different stylistic approach such as capturing the calm before the storm. The movie takes place in 1918 during the Influenza pandemic and follows Pearl as a young woman living with her German immigrant parents on their Texas homestead while her husband, Howard, is serving in World War I. The first act showcases Pearl’s life of confinement to the farm as the responsibility of taking care of her father has been left up to her and her mom due to his inability to take care of himself.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Photo courtesy of The New York Times
Later on in the movie, Pearl's sister-in-law, Mitsy, tells her of an audition being held for new dancers to join a traveling troupe. Pearl comments that she can never abandon her family and wishes they would die (major forshadowing)!
Following her audition, Pearl was told by the judges that she didn’t meet their expectations and was forcibly removed from the stage where she yells the infamous quote, "Please I'm a star!"
One thing I love about the movie is how they use cinematography to depict a kind of The Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind feel. The soundtrack is also very well made. Throughout the film, the soundtrack we hear is a slow shift from a bright happy optimistic vibe to a more dark, cruel, and deep environment. This depicts Pearl’s change in demeanor and I believe the timing of the shifts was very appropriate and matched.
I applaud Mia Goth for her show-stopping performance in this movie. Mia Goth is the incredible actress who played the two characters in X, Pearl/Maxie Minx. She even did some of the writing for the movie and did so well in adding layers to Pearl’s character. It amazes me how Mia was able to take this Plain Jane character and create an entire backstory for her. Mia Goth’s performance in Pearl is what made it a good prequel (since most never live up to the first film in its series).
Pearl and X both show the same themes through the characters of Pearl/Maxie: an obsession and drive to be in the spotlight, as well as dissatisfaction with living a normal life.
Some final words to you: go watch Pearl, but make sure to watch X before you do!
Death Count- 4 people
My Final Rating- 8/10
Cover photo courtesy of AMC
Banner photo courtesy of New Zealand Film Commission
Photo courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes