In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation, and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation, and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation, and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.
- Awards
- 19 wins & 62 nominations
Amelia Reid
- Margaret
- (as Amelia Reid-Meredith)
Lauren Stewart
- Pianist
- (as Lauren May Stewart)
Shaman Theron
- Crying Girl
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe pornographic film shown to Pearl is A Free Ride (1915), a real vintage 'stag' film. The film's production is the subject of some debate: It surfaced in the 1970s and was at one point sold by a shady distributor as a hardcore D.W. Griffith from 1915, while silent film historian Kevin Brownlow has posited that it was made in the early 1920s.
- GoofsThe movie "Palace Follies" that Pearl goes to see at the theater has accompanying sound and music. Given that "Pearl" is set in 1918, this is about eight years too early. Although experimental short films sound had been shown as early as 1894, there were no feature-length movies with synchronized sound before "Don Juan" was released in 1926. Of course, given Pearl's troubled mental state, she may have simply imagined the music.
- Crazy creditsThe strained smile that Goth holds for more than three minutes behind the closing credits was a spur-of-the-moment inspiration from Ti West. He had planned to film her smiling and then choose a freeze-frame of the most unsettling shot, but at the last minute suggested "What if you hold a smile as long as you possibly can and let's see what happens?" They shot the smile, which "goes from comical to haunting to deeply disturbing the longer it continues," in one take.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Pearl (2022)
Featured review
The complexity of insanity
Many who liked "X" will probably find themselves disappointed with this prequel, as it never comes close to reaching the levels of shock and intensity that the former reached.
In fact, "Pearl" isn't really a horror film at all (let alone a slasher), but rather a slow-paced descent-into-madness character study that uses it's brutal violence sparingly. And it's a great character study at that.
If you're ok with that, then you're in for a psychological treat.
Highest praise must be given to Mia Goth. She co-wrote the screenplay this time around and it's clear she understands the character profoundly. Her performance is terrifying. On a dime, she is able to flip from sweet & innocent to bloodthirsty & vengeful to remorseful and empathetic all within the same scene, sometimes even within the same shot.
It is, no hyperbole, one of the best lead performances I have ever seen in the genre.
When the protagonist of your story is a murdering psychopath, obviously there is a risk of alienating the audience. But that never happened because the script keeps all of Pearl's actions rooted in the festering grudges she holds toward her unfulfilling responsibilities and the subjectively monotonous life that she feels anchored to.
Pearl remains a sympathetic character because she is written as what a lot of us would become if we snapped and acted on every thought we had in our minds.
Lastly, the cinematography and other visual choices elevate the journey of madness we are following by adding surreal, otherworldly qualities to Pearl's fantasies that she indulges.
The only complaint that I have is that some of the dialogue could have done with a bit more polish. I understand that they were trying to mimic the over-the-top style of older films, but there were times when the spoken words felt cheesy when they should have had more power.
I was not expecting it to be as psychologically hard-hitting as it was. And what an emotional gut-punch of an ending that was.
It's a great film. Ti West's best work.
In fact, "Pearl" isn't really a horror film at all (let alone a slasher), but rather a slow-paced descent-into-madness character study that uses it's brutal violence sparingly. And it's a great character study at that.
If you're ok with that, then you're in for a psychological treat.
Highest praise must be given to Mia Goth. She co-wrote the screenplay this time around and it's clear she understands the character profoundly. Her performance is terrifying. On a dime, she is able to flip from sweet & innocent to bloodthirsty & vengeful to remorseful and empathetic all within the same scene, sometimes even within the same shot.
It is, no hyperbole, one of the best lead performances I have ever seen in the genre.
When the protagonist of your story is a murdering psychopath, obviously there is a risk of alienating the audience. But that never happened because the script keeps all of Pearl's actions rooted in the festering grudges she holds toward her unfulfilling responsibilities and the subjectively monotonous life that she feels anchored to.
Pearl remains a sympathetic character because she is written as what a lot of us would become if we snapped and acted on every thought we had in our minds.
Lastly, the cinematography and other visual choices elevate the journey of madness we are following by adding surreal, otherworldly qualities to Pearl's fantasies that she indulges.
The only complaint that I have is that some of the dialogue could have done with a bit more polish. I understand that they were trying to mimic the over-the-top style of older films, but there were times when the spoken words felt cheesy when they should have had more power.
I was not expecting it to be as psychologically hard-hitting as it was. And what an emotional gut-punch of an ending that was.
It's a great film. Ti West's best work.
helpful•23987
- benjaminskylerhill
- Sep 15, 2022
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- How long is Pearl?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $9,423,445
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,128,427
- Sep 18, 2022
- Gross worldwide
- $9,847,490
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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