MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Slasher/ Stars: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell/Runtime: 102 minutes
As a beautifully harmonious orchestra regales us with music that would feel right at home in a slice of cinema from the Old Hollywood era of movie magic, we see a young woman as she happily engages in the chores she has to do around her family’s farm. Yet whilst she does a good job at ensuring the animals get enough food, the cows are properly milked, and the stalls all cleaned out, we see that this young woman also has aspirations for what is to come in her life that are grander than her current situation might suggest. Namely she wants to be an actress in the realm of cinema. We soon see that this fantasy is unfortunately interrupted by a goose being somewhere it is not meant to be. Yet, instead of just corralling it back to its proper spot, the little lady does what many would consider the 5th best thing at best and the 50th-100th best thing at worst. Namely proceed to viciously stab the animal to death with a pitchfork and then feed him to the hungry gator in the nearby lake. This, in case you didn’t know, is the story of a young woman by the name of Pearl. A woman incidentally that you might be able to recall being in a wonderfully twisted 70s grindhouse tribute film from earlier in 2022 known as X. Yet whereas in that one she was an older woman being played by a younger woman under a mountain of eerily persuasive makeup, this time we are getting a look back at when she was a younger woman being played by the same younger actress who, thankfully for her, doesn’t necessitate the need for all of the makeup again. Indeed, in many respects, the slice of cinema that is Pearl is one that is most assuredly a look at what can happen when a pair of artists, in the midst of COVID lockdowns, manages to actually stumble upon a risky yet potentially brilliant idea. Namely to take a character from a film they are working on that wasn’t getting a lot in the way of background and attempt to give her a slice of cinema all her own that could fill that in for us. Suffice it to say that perhaps the pair of actress Mia Goth and helmer/co-scribe Ti West may have been onto something with this thought process. I say that because this slice of cinema is a delightfully insane treat from beginning to end that also functions as a wonderful tribute to the filmmaking flair and style present in slices of cinema from the 40s and 50s albeit whilst working with material that I can promise you the land of movie magic would have avoided like the plague back then. Suffice it to say then that, with wonderful work on both sides of the camera attached, Pearl is not only a worthy precursor to an already terrific first installment but is also most assuredly a terrific slice of cinema in its own right and based off its own merits as well.
The plot is as follows: Filmed pretty much immediately around the same time as its predecessor, the slice of cinema that is Pearl is one that utilizes the farmhouse locale in the Lone Star State from the original but does something distinct with it. That being that this film chooses to take the decaying and fairly decrepit homestead in that one and give it a surprisingly vibrant and colorful makeover here. You see dear reader, unlike the last time we saw the titular character in the slice of cinema X from earlier this year, this one is making the creative choice to take us by the hand and wind the clock back a solid 6 decades into the past with the year being 1918. A year that saw the end of an infamous conflict and the onset of a horrific global pandemic known as the Spanish Flu and that quickly reintroduces us to Pearl as a young woman trying to make her own way in the world. A task that is a bit problematic as her loving hubby Howard is still stuck overseas engaged in the last dredges of fighting. As a result, we see that our….”heroine” (for lack of a better word) is stuck with having the responsibility saddled on her of taking care of her silent and paralyzed dear ol’ dad whilst also making sure the family’s barn is kept up and in good condition. Yet, even though her overprotective mom Ruth firmly and continuously insists that she remember her place in the world and keep up with her chores at home, we see that this young lady has other dreams in mind. Namely of being one of the most fantastic dancers that the realm of cinema ever saw. Yet what may start out as a fairly A-Z kind of saga about a seemingly decent and kind of heart country gal who is wanting more than anything to just follow her dreams and become a star in the galaxy of Hollywood soon and quite swiftly throws us for a curve. One that takes the shape and form of this, for all intents and purposes, simplistic young woman taking her inner anger and frustration at her situation in life to say nothing of a perilously raging internal psychosis out on the various animals around her family’s property. Yet as disturbing as this desire/need to butcher animals may be, we soon see a more terrifying fact emerge. That fact being that (surprise surprise) this desire to brutally murder does not stop at defenseless animals. Rather, it also extends to people too. Something that we already know, but that the people in the life of this young woman to say nothing of the world around her are about to find out for the first time for some and the last time for others if you get my drift……
Now I’m not going to lie to you dear reader: the work being done behind the camera on this slice of horror cinema is absolutely marvelous. Indeed, a lot of this can be attributed to the work done at the helm by helmer Ti West. I mean here is a guy who may be known to the world of movie magic for, by and large, dabbling in the realm of horror, but who has always managed to avoid working specifically in just one avenue of terror for very long. A feat that can best be showed off by how he has given movie goers a slow-burn Rosemary’s Baby type horror film known as The House of the Devil, a horror-comedy called The Innkeepers, and has even given us his take on the whole found-footage subgenre with The Sacrament. Suffice it to say that it is no secret that this is one helmer who has continuously found new niches to carve for himself whilst also keeping movie goers on the edge of their seat and this is most certainly the case with this film which can best be described as a technicolor terror. Indeed, unnerving narratives that have quite the drenched color schemes aren’t something that hasn’t been done before as quite a few film helmers from Italy did so back in the 70s. At the same time however, it isn’t that offer that we see this look in an American-made slice of cinema, but boy is this one film that benefits immensely from it. Indeed, instead of a neon-bathed disco or a temperamental mix of both ruby-colored glow and jet-black silhouettes, we as movie goers are instead treated to baby-blue skies, rich and abundant fields, and lovely cherry-red dresses that manage to conjure up a vibe that you are watching something way more agreeable than what it ultimately turns out to be. Suffice it to say that how this slice of cinema looks, when partnered up with the whimsical and expansive musical accompaniment courtesy of both Tyler Bates and Tim Williams, does a wonderful job of immersing you quite successfully in this long-ago age from the annals of movie magic. Suffice it to say that the loving acceptance of this film’s distinct components from an aesthetic perspective feels so genuine that, should the visceral content be omitted, this could easily be viewed as a lighthearted narrative about a young lady trying to leave small town life as far away in the rearview mirror as she possibly can which results in one of the more distinct-looking horror films I have seen in quite some time.
Of course, I would be completely amiss if I didn’t also mention the work done in this slice of cinema by the cast assembled in front of the camera. I say this because they all manage to do an absolutely fantastic job. Yet even with that in mind however, there is no denying that the definitive tour de force performance on display herein undoubtedly belongs to Mia Goth reprising her role of Pearl. Indeed, in many a film project, Goth has managed to show movie goers that she is a dynamic actress so it shouldn’t be that much of a revelation to learn she walks away with every scene in this that she is given. Sure, the whole idea of this character might be for some to be a wee bit on the redundant side, but Goth still proves to be immensely watchable as she manages to thread the needle between not only the on-point tendencies she possesses toward certain things, but also proceeding to utilize those same items as a channel to feel relatable for anybody out there who has ever felt like they were meant for bigger things yet are also ridiculed by people for those dreams. Indeed, make no mistake dear reader: this is a quite intriguing balancing act to pull off since we know where this character’s arc eventually takes her courtesy of the first entry in this trilogy. However, by making the wonderful narrative choice to give this character a struggle that is immensely understandable (even if her way of dealing with it isn’t), we see that this slice of cinema is able to ensure that this distinct character is treated with an integrity and relatability that is appreciated despite her eventual descent into murderous insanity. A murderous insanity that, for those who proceed to get in her way in some manner, makes itself very much apparent in this slice of cinema courtesy of a collection of over the top yet perversely delightful ways. Suffice it to say that the twisted moments in this film may please horror aficionados amongst you, but they also make more of an impact due to the work done by Goth as the titular character as she wonderfully fluctuates between sweet yet naive and insane-fueled homicidal rage in a manner that is equal parts not entirely unsurprising given the genre that this is a part of yet also oddly worthy of our sympathy as well.
All in all I think it can be safely said that when the first entry in this now-trilogy concluded, it was accented in a manner that was definitely quite thrilling and edge of your seat in nature since you had no idea just how everything was going to wrap up for the cast of characters. However, I must confess that this slice of cinema is not one that is going to wrap up in quite the same manner since you can go back and see just where this character winds up. Thankfully for those of you who may have been concerned that this was just merely going to be a retread I can say that is definitely not the case with this particular slice of cinema due to film helmer/co-scribe Ti West not being content with just simply filling in a few narrative holes in the life of its main character that were left agape by the first film and then calling it a day and proceeding to go home. Instead, we are able to see that by operating with a new collection of genre guides to operate with that this slice of cinema is just as much in the way of twisted fun as its predecessor from earlier this year. Plus, by making the choice to place its blood-soaked heart where everyone can see it, we also see that this slice of cinema is a terrific and novel look at a person’s spiral into insanity that isn’t just being repetitive with what came before it. Thus, by filling in the blanks one a core individual in this recently-announced trilogy, we see that the creative team behind this have managed to not only give us a wonderful movie, but also one that could prove to be an invaluable aid in determining just how things are going to play out in the third, and possibly final entry in all of this when that one is done and ready to be unleashed on all of us. At the same time though, this slice of cinema also makes it crystal clear that just because you think you might have an idea of where a person in this distinct cinematic universe’s story might go doesn’t mean that there still aren’t delightfully twisted surprises to be had along the way. Suffice it to say that this slice of cinema may have been one that began as something that was just a pandemic lockdown thought, but darn it all if it didn’t come together quite nicely. Indeed the skill behind the camera is absolutely spot-on and each and every performance in front of the camera, no matter how big or small the role, is definitely electric in the best way possible. Thus if you enjoy this type of cinema or, especially if, you saw the first one then definitely see this one. I promise you that you will find much to enjoy here as well whilst also eagerly waiting to see just where in the world this particular story could go from here with the recently announced MaXXXine. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Pearl “2022” a solid 4 out of 5.
