Pearl: Movie Review

Cast: Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, David Corenswet, Emma Jenkins-Purro

Director: Ti West

More a a psychological tragedy than an outright slasher horror, Ti West's prequel to X is all about Mia Goth's performance.

Billed as an origin story, and washed in a technicolour swamp of Hollywood homage, it's the story of Pearl (the killer of X), who dreams of a life outside of the crushing confines of her farm, caring for her ill father and being beaten down daily by the psychological torture of her mother (Wright).

In the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, Pearl believes she is more than a star, and ends up receiving hope in two forms - an audition at a local church for a talent scout and a projectionist who believes she should be up on the screen.

But hope is dangerous for Pearl...

If you're expecting a prequel soaked in blood that follows elements of X, then Ti West's latest will delightfully wrongfoot you and plant you squarely in Goth's orbit as she continues to impress.

From a pitchfork skewered goose to an ultimately upsetting final shot, Goth dominates the screen, riffing on Wizard of Oz references and dealing with Psycho-level portmanteaux. But it's not just the physical performance she delivers here, it's also one which plays into Pearl's psyche and psychosis. 

It's also extremely upsetting too to see this naive dreamer destroyed in many ways mentally as the film continues, her descent into madness both telegraphed by outside influences and internal doubts. Goth inhabits all of these with veritable aplomb, and while watching Pearl demands you rewatch X straight after, there are plenty of nods from the first film that play into this - an impressive sign of West and Goth's commitment to creating an iconic character of horror in just 240 minutes.

While other horror villains have had years to be portrayed on screen, Goth's Pearl is one for the ages already, and with its reverence of Hollywood's golden era from its score to its visuals, Pearl feels both timely and classic. What it ultimately does though is recontextualise its own pathos and provide something unsettling to audiences already versed in this new horror trilogy.

Pearl will be playing Whanganui, Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington for one off screenings at the Terror-Fi Fest.