Film Review — Pearl
Ti West’s horror prequel features an astonishing central performance from Mia Goth that should have been Oscar-nominated
For some reason, Ti West’s Pearl — a prequel to last year’s enjoyable 1970s slasher throwback X — took almost a year to reach the UK. I finally caught up with it at the cinema last night and have three immediate reactions: 1) The central performance by Mia Goth is outstanding, and ought to have been Oscar nominated, once again making me shake my head in dismay at the Academy’s refusal to acknowledge horror. 2) Pearl is significantly superior to its predecessor. 3) As both a horror connoisseur and cineaste, I loved it.
Of course, the word “horror” will immediately have turned off some audiences, and as usual, I always feel that’s a bit of a shame. Pearl is an exceptionally well-crafted piece of work, stunningly directed by West. It partly plays as a pastiche of classic Hollywood melodramas, whilst still being a strong, character-centred genre piece with all the vitality and relevancy required to raise this above mere self-indulgence.
The titular Pearl (Goth), who appeared as an old woman in X, is here a young married woman, awaiting the return of her husband (Alistair Sewell) from the frontlines of the First World War. She lives with her austere religious mother…
