Saturday, September 17, 2022

Pearl Review

 I saw Pearl on September 17, 2022! I have not seen X yet, but this prequel movie centering on the younger version of the character, Pearl is the best way to start this soon to be trilogy. As this is technically the first movie of the series, I wanted to see what the world is all about, and I have to say I was very intrigued by everything going on. Yes, some of the subject matter is definitely violent and outright gruesome, but the crimson and clover of this world actually makes it a necessary road to take. 

I think it's one of the most unique horror worlds that I've seen in some time. While it's not outright a horror movie, the actions and atmosphere surrounding our main character is certainly befitting of the genre. I found this to be a tremendous slow burn descent into madness which works for the character. The building deterioration of her fragile psyche is terrifying to watch, but at the same time, she's also really good at feigning naivety and innocence making the character one of the most cerebral villains in recent cinematic history. 

This movie's success lies in the performance of it's main actress, Mia Goth, and she succeeds in flying colors! Goth's performance here is one of the absolute best I've seen in years not only in the horror/psychological thriller genre, but of any genre. Her name works so well for the movie as well giving it that macabre crescendo that everything builds on. Goth is such a gifted actress, and her outstanding performance here is indicative that she's one of the most underrated people in the industry. She's simply amazing! Her commitment to this character shaping it into one of the most layered killers in movie history is truly remarkable. As an actress, writer and producer of this role, she helps to expand this character's emotions, build on her motivations, dissect her intellect and establish her rebellious spirit. Pearl's mental health struggles are always on full display in terms of dealing with her life on the farm, outside in the real world and her awkward interactions with other people. I like Pearl's ideals of basically trying to find out there's more than her provincial life, standing up for herself and overtly taking control of her situation (albeit, in heinous ways) showing somebody that is trying to repair herself and make improvements in her life. Goth actually gives Pearl an almost child like expression to many things going on around her which is expertly done to explore her descent into lunacy. Initially, this works well as the obedient daughter, but the subtle changes in her speech and tone of voice show, as well as the change in colors she wears from blue to dark red display the changes of her mind, as well as her resistance to her current life. One of the best aspects of the movie is Goth's performance in a  soliloquy about her sacrifice and her suffering for everybody else around her showcasing the fervor she has for this character explaining her reasoning for her actions. It's her telling us she's done being the polite girl, done pretending to be somebody she isn't, finally embracing the monster she's created underneath coming to the surface in pure fruition. Goth commands the screen in every scene she's in. As the main character, this should be expected, but whenever she's on screen her charisma is luminous making this fresh character one of the most exciting, as well as intimidating dancing between sweet and sour in such a manner making it truly shocking to watch, while also adding an artistic flair to her that makes her stand out among other female characters in recent memory.

Along with Goth's phenomenal performance, there are other aspects of this movie that really help it stand out as a unique project. The use of technicolor makes everything pop on screen. In some ways, there are instances in this movie where you feel like you're watching a really macabre Wizard of Oz, and I really loved that aspect of it as well. There's scenes that are literally put in the movie that are meant to give you that feeling as well, since this movie is really Pearl putting away her black and white existence and walking into her new colorful world of madness, so that worked really well. Along with the technicolor, the costumes were just beautiful. Pearl's dresses captured great use of light blues to dark reds showing the changing aspects of her personality, as well as capturing the era of the characters. The dance choreography was fantastic with Goth's routine really impressing. The sound was really great here, because it was mixed in a way that gave it that silent movie, early talkie era effect, which was just fun to see. It made the character's dialogue pop on screen, and Goth made full use of it to sell her emotions verbally. It's really tremendous to see. Combining that with the cinematography of the location sets like the farm and the interior of Pearl's house made it feel like an older movie, and with the movie being set in 1918 that felt very accurate, and helped sell the movie's premise even better. The use of blood and overtly sexual aspects of the movie worked for the character and the world this movie is set in. While it can definitely be disturbing, the sell of the movie is in some of the shock value of Pearl's actions, so it actually works for the general nature of the movie. There's definitely moments where you'll be horrified by the actions she takes, but the movie has been building up to these, and the moments are dispersed throughout so they're not all at once. Pacing scenes like that is the right way to go in general, but especially here, because each violent action is increased by the state she's in at that moment. It's done in a way to show how far she's fallen from when she's introduced that she can't come back to that moment. She's put all of what she was (or what she was pretending to be) behind her. These scenes are shot so well utilizing great camera tricks to bring the audience right into the moment, and right into her mindset. 

With an excellent lead performance by Mia Goth, a well constructed psychological thriller, great technical aspects and incredibly effective scenes selling the origins of this character, Pearl manages to entertain, horrify and intrigue you all at the same time, while also inviting you to delve further into this world. Mia Goth's performance alone gives this a 5/5! I love watching her passion for this character come to life in each scene. Even if this genre isn't up your alley, I'd highly recommend it for Goth's performance here. Yes, it's a dark world, but it's also such an ambitious one really upping the ante for this genre. 

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