Pearl
Director(s) - Ti West
Runtime - 1 h 42 min
Awards
Saturn Award (2024) - Best Independent Film
Chainsaw Award (2023) - Best Lead Performance
Boston Society of Film Critics (2022) - Best Cinematography
Studio(s) - A24
Release date - September 2022
(bad) Synopsis
OK, so that is not how you deal with rejection…
Notes/Opinion
I’m not usually into terror and thrillers, that has to be said. I don’t know, it’s just not the kind of thing I tend to enjoy.
However, I think Pearl demands to be appreciated by anyone; even those who avoid all things creepy and gory like the plague.
I think a big part of the movie’s appeal is precisely the things outside of the horror itself, so to speak. If you’re one of those people who really cares about the visual stuff (me), you’ll be in for a treat with Pearl.
The cinematography is definitely a stand-out, very old-fashioned and reminiscent of “pictures” like The Wizard of Oz. I loved the vibrant color grading, and how fantastical the movie feels overall. The blood, the storm, Pearl’s imagination… it all looks very fake, but there’s an intentionality there that makes it work.
There’s also something deeply relatable about Pearl as a character. Not the psychopathic aspect, obviously, but the desperate longing for something more. Ultimately, the young woman wants to be loved. She wants to prove herself worthy of a life greater, larger than the one she has. Living as a simple farmer gives her little fulfillment, which makes her mother judge her as ungrateful and egotistical. Arrogant, even. To Pearl’s mother, a German immigrant, the young woman should want for nothing else as long as her basic needs are met.
You know, anything else is asking for way too much.
When auditions come to town, the protagonist has the chance to prove her mom wrong. To become more than what anyone bargained for, to finally make her dreams come true, all that American Dream stuff that people used to believe in once.
And then, she fails. She gets rejected because, according to the casting directors, she’s not that special.
Sadly, this might just be the most realistic part of the whole movie.
Like, yeah, all too often, that happens. You want so bad to be needed for a given project, and then it turns out you’re not what they’re looking for. You keep at it and you hear the same thing too many times, until you start questioning whether you’re needed anywhere. It’s a very particular kind heartbreaking.
Like, no, I do not condone Pearl’s actions, and yet in some ways I can’t help but empathize with her. She’s dealing with rejection in the worst way possible, yes, but also I know how it feels.
Feels as awful as her actions, so in a movie, it’s kinda fun to watch…
Sources: Google, IMDB, Wikipedia
Did you watch Pearl? Do you like Mia Goth’s acting, or is it not really for you? Are you a fan of campy, dramatic cinematography that truly makes a “picture” feel like a story? Let me know in the comments!
I haven't seen Pearl yet, but I saw X and thought it was great. I love campy films, perhaps due to growing up watching Face/Off too many times where I learned to love Nic Cage being super cheesy. I think Mia Goth is great, I can still hear her yelling "James" from Infinity Pool.
Have always been intrigued by Pearl ever since I saw TikTok edits of it lol, so it's always been on my radar.