In 1918, 61 years before the events of X, Pearl, trapped on her family’s isolated Texas homestead, must tend to her infirmed father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a glamorous life like she’s seen in the movies, Pearl’s ambitions, temptations and repressions collide.
- Released:
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thrillers
- Stars: Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, David Corenswet, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Matthew Sunderland, Alistair Sewell, Lauren Stewart, Amelia Reid, Todd Rippon, Gabe McDonnell, Grace Acheson
- Director: Ti West
Comments
- Atle_O - 24 June 2024
A Good and Weird Horror Experience
I recently watched "Pearl" and thought it was a pretty good movie. It definitely had its weird moments, but I think that added to its charm. The story follows Pearl, a young woman living on a farm, who dreams of a more glamorous life. As the film goes on, we see her dark side come out, and it gets pretty intense.
One thing I really liked about "Pearl" was the acting. The lead actress did an amazing job showing Pearl's complex emotions. She made me feel both sympathy and fear for her character. The setting of the film, with its old farmhouse and eerie atmosphere, added a lot to the overall feeling.
The weird parts of the movie might not be for everyone, but I thought they made it stand out. It's not your typical horror movie. Instead of just trying to scare you with jump scares, it dives deep into Pearl's mind and shows how twisted she becomes. This made it more interesting for me.
Overall, "Pearl" was a good watch. It's a bit strange, but I think that's what makes it unique. If you like horror movies that focus more on character development and psychological thrills, you might enjoy this one too. - infinitetyler - 1 June 2024
Liked 'X', and Should Have Stopped There
I was skeptical of this movie when I saw the trailer after 'X', because it seemed like her character had developed over the course of that movie into a bit of a killer, so giving her a backstory as a killer seemed anti-climactic. And it was.
The absence of the stellar cast in 'X' is impossible to ignore, and Mia is left holding the show together pretty much by herself. She does great, but that's a lot to compensate for.
The sets, costumes, lighting, sound, etc. Are great, and TI West does an okay job directing, but it seems like he maybe shouldn't have filmed back-to-back because it lacks the energy of 'X'. The aesthetics of the film are its strongest feature.
My main criticism is that 'Pearl' is more of a slow-moving drama than a horror, the dark comedy didn't land, it's using a cliche premise, and the characters aren't particularly interesting. I watched it twice and got bored and started working on other stuff both times.
'Pearl' isn't a movie I particularly hated, but I was happier with just my memory of 'X'. I'd probably skip it unless it's for background noise. - awwatkin - 13 May 2024
Good movie, strange prequel
I think it's unfortunate that this movie is a prequel to 'X'. By itself, this is a really good story, but it's a prequel to a horror movie, and while I guess you could loosely define this as a horror movie, the genres of drama and thriller are much more appropriate. So I would say this movie is definitely worth a watch, but do go into it like I did thinking that it is horror in the sense that the first one was.
The acting in this is great with the lead doing an outstanding job, as well as the other cast.
They are a couple of gory scenes, but they are quick, so someone that likes horror without so, so much gore should like this one! - jfgibson73 - 5 January 2023
Pretty fun prequel that was easy to watch
I was glad to hear a lot of people enjoyed this movie. I saw several reviewers rank it as their favorite horror this year. It was very well done, so it deserves the recommendations. I thought it was very fun and easy to watch, although I would also say that I felt like I digested it pretty thoroughly on one viewing. It's got some wild stuff going on, but not to the degree that I feel compelled to tell friends they have to see it. Of course, Mia Goth's performance is what carries the film, but I also think the script did it's job in giving her lots of chances to go crazy. I guess I would have like to see them take it even further, as weird as that sounds. But you definitely have to make time to see it. Lots of fun. - tchitouniaram - 30 December 2022
Firstly
It is definitely not a horror , most probably , psychological thriller/drama , and in that regard It is a very well made film ;acting is brilliant , story is fine .Si if it is possible to not expect a horror , then the movie is really enjoyable !
It is definitely not a horror , most probably , psychological thriller/drama , and in that regard It is a very well made film ;acting is brilliant , story is fine .Si if it is possible to not expect a horror , then the movie is really enjoyable !it is definitely not a horror , most probably , psychological thriller/drama , and in that regard It is a very well made film ;acting is brilliant , story is fine .Si if it is possible to not expect a horror , then the movie is really enjoyable ! - benzed - 12 December 2022
Bless You Ti West.
I was looking forward to this. I enjoyed X and love Melodrama, horror, some gore if done well (Dear Directors, Blood Isn't Translucent), suspense, Thrillers, psychological dramas, Dramedies, musical comedies, and musical horror slasher comedies.
This was all that and more. My first thought when Fin! Was "Mia Goth deserves an Oscar (even though I no longer view Awards shows). I predicted Marissa Tomei after viewing My Cousin Vinny.
As soon as possible I googled Mia Goth Oscars. It was many a headline.
She was Amazing. So many areas that need to be acknowledged as well Director, Sound Editor, Cinematography, Editing, Music Director, Mama was Amazing. All actors didn't disappoint.
This reminded of pieces of and atmosphere of the best films.
I experienced (not Literally) sudden recall of random films, directors, Cinematography. A Technicolor Nightmare. I Thought of Hitchcock, The Wizard of Oz, Silence of the Lambs, Bette Davis, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Orsen Welles, and Busby Berkley.
Beyond My Trivial Expectations Every once in a while a movie stands out as something "Wow, I've Never seen anything like this" it is in its own category.
I say Even if you hate horror, gore, you will be glad that you saw Pearl. - kjjames81 - 29 November 2022
What happened
What a disappointment.
Why oh why did they make this movie?
I loved the movie X and was so looking forward to this prequel, I wish I didn't see this movie now.
This added nothing to the character Pearl and the movie was so disappointing that I came away wondering why did they bother making this movie.
Picture this you go and see Jaws the you go and see Jaws 4, this is what watching Pearl felt like.
No depth to any of the characters in this movie, the husband coming back from the war near the end of the movie was totally pointless and added nothing to the movie as well, this film had barely any horror, so if you liked X like I did the you will be very underwhelmed with this one.
I will see Maxxine, the sequel to X when it comes out and I have my fingers crossed it will be better than Pearl.
I am giving this four stars and that is a push, I wonder if they ran out of things to put in the script. - Sobertoaster-764-479561 - 21 November 2022
A "horror" that wanted to be a drama..
But as a drama it failed because of the lack of character development in my opinion. Every character in the film was really one note, and even the lead had an extremely minimal and cliché character arc. A story as old as time itself, person from a small town wants to make it to the big city and become a star, oh and she's unhinged... yawn. There was zero tension because you didn't grow attached to any character being killed, so it took away the "horror" of it, like you know who is going to die, and you don't really care that they are going to die, was falling asleep. Performance was OK, but the film was extremely corny overall. I genuinely enjoyed her monologue to her sister in law at the end. That monologue was the only good scene in the entire film in my opinion, and actually the only reason I would give the movie the generous rating of a 3/10. Unfortunately you can't build a movie around one great monologue though.
