Pearl is a 2022 horror slasher from director Ti West, co-written by West and Mia Goth. The film is a joint-venture production of A24 and Little Lamb, and is the prequel to X (see our full review here), a film that was released earlier this year. The film is directed by Ti West, co-written by West and Mia Goth, who reprises her role as the titular character, and co-stars David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sutherland, and Emma Jenkins-Purro. Pearl, which had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 3rd, was secretly filmed at the same time as X, which is pretty damn cool in my opinion.

In 1918, Pearl is a young woman living with her German immigrant parents on their Texas homestead while her husband, Howard, is serving in World War I. Pearl's father is infirm and paralyzed, and her domineering mother, Ruth, insists that she help care for both him and the farm. Pearl, longing for a more exciting life, is captivated by the films she sees at the local cinema leading her on a dangerous journey as she finds herself.

If the name Ti West doesn’t ring a bell, you may not be alone. Even if you have heard of him, you might think he is fairly new to the world of movies, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I can’t be the only person who for a hot minute thought he was new to the game when the first trailer for X made its debut, but lets be honest, if I see the A24 logo, I am immediately preordering my ticket without a second thought. Either way, I owe him an apology because as a horror fanatic, it is simply inexcusable on my part.

A horror lover at heart, West has dabbled in a bit of everything since he began his directing career back in 2001 with a few short films. In 2009, he wrote and directed the critically acclaimed horror film The House of the Devil, now streaming on Peacock and AMC+ if you are interested, as well as a segment of the 2012 anthology horror V/H/S, which is really good. West now has joined up with the crem de la crem of production companies and is making history with a fresh new throwback horror franchise.

Pearl was released in theaters on September 16th, courtesy of A24.

THE GOOD

I touched on a bit of his history, but Ti West is my guy. I feel like in many ways he is like my spirit animal as we both seemingly share a raw and passionate appreciation for throwback horror films. When I saw X in theaters, I was smiling from ear to ear the entire time. This guy just gets it, and as far as I can tell A24 is allowing him free reign as he builds this new horror franchise of his. The digital ink hadn’t even dried on my X review before I learned about the prequel, which was filmed back-to-back. Like what?! So crazy, but man was I pumped about this. Mia Goth and her dual performance was a big reason why X worked so well, and she was appropriately rewarded with a leading role in a main character’s origin story. So, after all of the buildup and anticipation, was Pearl all I hoped it would be? Keep reading to find out!

As expected, Pearl was fantastic. Right from the opening sequence, I was in awe of Ti West and his ability to give us that genuine feel of a story that takes place in the 1920s. West again goes with that technicolor style and what I would consider a dull yet vibrant color scheme throughout, which really had that throwback feel to it. The look perfectly matched the feel of the film, which was oddly upbeat when it came to Pearl and her odd and erratic behavior, while still very bleak and depressing as it relates to her feelings of being trapped in a life she desperately wants to escape. We have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Pearl as a character after watching her in X, but nothing can truly prepare you for the level of insanity she exhibits.

The film's core is a power struggle between Pearl and her overbearing mother Ruth, played by Tandi Wright. You feel for Ruth as she describes the unfairness and cruelty of what life dishes out as she is forced to care for her husband who due to an illness is now a shell of himself and confined to a wheelchair. Ruth makes it very clear that she expects Pearl to take on this massive burden as well, which leads to a very odd and often cringeworthy relationship between the troubled young lady and the man who raised her. The trajectory of Pearl’s character was simply amazing, which speaks to the writing collaboration between West and Goth. I also really liked the claustrophobic feel of the film which helped to make Pearl seem somewhat relatable, at least in the first half of the film. You will feel sympathy for Pearl early on, but trust me when I say that by the end, you will see her in an entirely new and terrifying light.

The bread and butter of the film is without a doubt the acting, and Mia Goth is simply phenomenal as Pearl. She was literally on another level and embodied the character to the point where we may never see her as anything other than the odd and psychotic woman living with her parents on this rural farm in West Texas. If you’ve been reading up on this movie at all, you surely heard about Goth’s 5-minute monologue at the conclusion of the film, and wow. Just wow. Goth, a native of Southwark, London, is incredibly talented and has a very bright future ahead of her. I touched on the performance of Tandi Wright briefly, but she was great as Pearl’s mother Ruth. The fact that she is not German in real-life blows my mind because of how convincing she was. You can feel the despair oozing from her facial expressions and mannerisms, and it is clear that she is a woman defeated yet unwilling to give up on the vows she made to her husband, while desperate to convince her daughter to share the same outlook. To say that it is a troubling family dynamic would be an understatement.

Although she played a supporting role, Emma Jenkins-Purro was crucial in her portrayal of Misty, Pearl’s sister-in-law, as she helped to reinforce the fact that something was very wrong with Pearl. I really liked David Corenswet in his role as The Projectionist and felt like his character offered a unique carefree attitude and outlook on life which just reminded Pearl of all that she was missing. He was also the person responsible for bringing out Pearl’s deepest desires leading to the character that we see in X. Matthew Sunderland was great as Pearl’s Father, especially considering that all he had at his disposal was facial expressions, and he made the most of them during the films final act.

Similar to X, Pearl shines on the technical side of things. From the unique directing style to the cinematography, right down to a fantastic score and soundtrack, everything came together nicely. I touched on it briefly but I loved the overall feel and look of the film, from something as simple as the way the cast and director credits hit the screen at the start, to the overall old-school look which just felt genuine. Eliot Rockett, who worked with West on the House of the Devil as well as X, returns as the film’s cinematographer. He took full advantage of the gorgeous New Zealand setting, and just created a very immersive experience. Composer Tyler Bates, who also worked on X, returns to share music duties with veteran Tim Williams. The score and soundtrack are pivotal for what West is trying to do and they come through yet again. I have to touch on the editing which is so damn good yet again. Ti West, who serves as director and co-writer, is also the editor for the film which makes a huge difference mainly because he has such a unique signature style. I could go on and on talking about the editing, but a specific sequence during the film’s final act was especially spectacular. The bottom line, you need to experience it for yourself. I was also impressed with the script which was a collaboration between West and Mia Goth, her first writing credit.

THE BAD

Pearl is a fantastic movie, but it is very different from X and for that reason not quite as enjoyable in comparison, although thankfully it does retain that signature style. But, let me be clear when I say that does not take away from what the film accomplished. Pearl is meant to be an origin story leading to the events that unravel in X, and it does that to perfection. The character development is mind-blowing in so many ways and speaks to a very effective screenplay. The reason why I am talking about this in the bad section is the fact that I don’t feel like Pearl is quite as enjoyable on a mainstream level.

This is very much a slow-burn character study, capped off with the amazing monologue I mentioned. Now even though X had its fair share of hard-to-watch scenes, unless you are into sex-crazed old ladies which I say to each their own, Pearl ups the ante in many ways. Although it could have been much worse. If you have an issue with the mistreatment of the elderly you may have a difficult time with this movie. The strain Pearl’s father puts on the family as he is confined to a wheelchair and unable to eat or bathe on his own is a primary driver of the story, and also very triggering in many ways as well. Even though Pearl claims to love her father, he is seen as nothing more than a major inconvenience. So I guess what I am saying is that what the film does so well is also what will likely make it a difficult watch for some people. Also, if you have an issue with subtitles they pop up throughout the film as Pearl and her mother often talk to each other in German. I’m not a fan of subtitles in general but they didn’t bother me.

THE VERDICT

A tense and well-crafted origin story showcasing a memorable performance from talented actress Mia Goth, Pearl is yet another successful collaboration between visionary director Ti West and A24. Although I didn’t like it as a whole quite as much as I did the first film, getting the much-needed backstory on this character was great. What West is doing with these movies is incredible to me, essentially building a brand new franchise in the span of 12 months. X was a real treat for horror fans, and the fact that it was just scratching the surface has me beyond excited for what is to come next.

Now even though Pearl doesn’t have a post-credit scene in the traditional sense, it does offer a sneak peek at the 3rd film in the franchise, Maxine, if you haven’t seen it already. So yeah, I am all in for what Ti West cooks up next. At this rate he may end up with more films than the Friday the 13th franchise, especially considering I have been waiting for another movie since 2009. Be sure to get out and support the glorious horror genre by seeing Pearl in theaters.