In anticipation of the release of MaXXXine, I pulled out the Blu-Ray of Ti West's prequel to the X trilogy, Pearl, from my to-watch pile. And damn, I was blown away. The movie rests on the shoulders of star Mia Goth, and she delivers a performance that exposes how the Academy Awards snubs films in the Horror genre.
We'll get into that later, but for now, you have to deal with a quick summation of the film. The film takes place decades before X, as Pearl, a farm girl and bride to a man fighting overseas in World War I, struggles to resist her psychopathic urges while trapped on a farm in 1918 Texas, and dreaming becoming a star.
Yeah, who didn't expect her to be crazy after this momentL
Pearl has to deal with an infirm, paralyzed father (Matthew Sunderland, delivering a great performance while maintaining the character's limited abilities), and a mother (Tandi Wright, in another solid performance within this film, and who was the intimacy coordinator on X) who knows Pearl is psychotic.
When a church group is looking for the next up and coming star, Pearl jumps at the chance. Add in a projectionist (David Corenswet) who exposes Pearl to blue movies (and, to the script's' credit, this isn't as icky as it sounds), Pearl's ready for a bloody meltdown.
Of course, mayhem ensues.
And if you're not creeped out by The Wizard of Os vibes, just wait.
The film rests on Goth's shoulders and she delivers, but not just in this film. She donned old age make-up to play Pearl, as well as Maxine, in X, which shocked me when I read about it. Her performances were so different, I had no idea one actor played both characters. Yes, both Pearl and Maxine want the same goal, but Goth delivered two unique performances.
Yet Pearl shows Goth isn't just a modern scream queen, but a blessing to horror fans. And I'm not saying that to insult others who carried the title. I can think of few actor, in any genre, committed (and brave) enough to perform in front of a camera for (based on estimates from other sites; I didn't time it) up to nine UNCUT minutes. No reaction cutaways to other performers, no change of camera angle. It's just Goth delivering a tour de force performance.
This is only matched by the closing credits. Watching the film, it's easy to see that Goth should have been given, at the very least, an Oscar nomination based on those scenes. And this slight exposes how the Academy ignores terrific performances in films designated to the Horror genre.
Oops, I did it again. Starred in a horror film the Academy won't look at.
As mentioned earlier, the rest of the cast is great. But I wanted to mention Emma Jenkins-Purro as Pearl's confidant Mitzy, who's final moments are just terrific as she tries to get out of harm's way, and Corenswet, who keeps things from becoming too creepy during the Blue Movie scene.
And, I must admit, the closing credits makes me want West and Goth to write a prequel entitled Hoxard. Okay, the X placement is a bit clunky, but I would love to know what lead Howard to stay with Pearl after he returned home. Inquiring minds want to know.
Pearl isn't perfect, as it relies on some well worn cliches (such as the increasingly stormy weather reflecting Pearl's mental state) and a standard troupe during the final kill (it's no spoiler, you know it's going to happen). But the film is terrific, thanks to the cast. I'm just sorry Goth will have to go outside the genre to get the recognition she deserves.
Still, horror fans should be happy with the time she's spending in the genre. And I'm so glad she's closing out the trilogy with MaXXXine. Regardless of how the movie plays out, I expect another great performance from Goth.
No need for the axe to convince me you're a star, Mia!