X
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 43 m
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 43 m
Summary Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl (Mia Goth) must tend to her ailing 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 all collide.
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 43 m
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 43 m
Pearl
76
6.8
Where to Watch
Summary Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl (Mia Goth) must tend to her ailing 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 all collide.
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 39 Critic Reviews
76
77% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
21% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 39 Critic Reviews
76
77% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
21% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Less a horror than an occasionally bloodthirsty character portrait, West dances us through the mind of a serial killer with a visual flair that soars on the big screen.
What begins as a weird tribute to The Wizard of Oz becomes a genuinely creepy horror. West chooses deliberate methodic movements rather than jump scares to terrify the audience, and the film is all the better for it. And he never lets loose of an underlying sense of humour that is as clever as it is demented.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 142 User Ratings
6.8
67% Positive
95 Ratings
95 Ratings
20% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
13% Negative
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 142 User Ratings
6.8
67% Positive
95 Ratings
95 Ratings
20% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
13% Negative
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
Pearl showcases Ti West's storytelling prowess, weaving a deeply atmospheric and chilling narrative that grips viewers from beginning to end. Pearl exemplifies the power of psychological horror, offering a masterclass in suspense and terror. The film's ability to create a pervasive sense of dread and anticipation is truly remarkable, with each spine-tingling moment leaving a lasting impact. The meticulously crafted sound design further enhances the horror elements, intensifying the film's unsettling atmosphere. Mia Goth's performance alone is perfection, her deliverance and pure aptitude to make us feel uneasy and understand her character's emotions is incredible.
Report
With its lurid libidinous action and over-the-top murders, Pearl is a jokey spin-off of a jokey film. Imagine – and we mean this as a compliment – the slasher equivalent of The Naked Gun 2. Offsetting the self-indulgence, Goth sinks her teeth into the goose-killing heroine and spits out all the feathers.
Clever, violent, and wicked, with a fabulously unhinged turn from Goth, West’s period psycho tale truly does have the X Factor.
There is some sex and plenty of gore, but mostly an atmosphere of feverish, lurid melodrama leavened with winks of knowing humor and held together by Goth’s utterly earnest and wondrously bizarre performance.
It’s an impressive feat of filmmaking, but one that reveals nothing new, a major misstep for a film seemingly dedicated to doing just that.
It’s self-indulgent and self-referential, more a humorless counterpoint to “X” than a precursor.
This movie is fantastic and a perfect prequel to "X". Mia Goth is fantastic, gorgeous and equally haunting. I was shocked by her ability to complete such a lengthy monologue in one take. Her face and mannerisms convey so much emotion, you can literally see the energy shift moments before. It reminds me of a dark "Wizard of Oz," therefore, technicolor was definitely the way to go. One of the most underrated thrillers I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
Report
I wanted to like it, just like X (2022) but I didn’t because it’s boring. I mean really boring. And forgettable, even more boring and forgettable than the first film. Barely anything happens, it took me two attempts to finish it. It’s all character led which is fine and I like the character of Pearl but there is literally no story or action to support the characters. The charismatic and interesting lead character carries the movie except, unlike the first movie, the supporting characters do not have equal acting ability or memorability of Mia. Because of this, it became the Mia show, possibly even a vanity project for her. At least the first film had Jenna Ortega supporting along with some other great actors. But I haven’t reached the worst bit yet, it is the tedious ego-driven monologue, it is so so terrible, it goes on for so long and is so utterly boring. We are just watching Mia’s ego. Why do they think this is what people want to watch or do they want to prove they can do a really long take for no reason. Ugh hate it. Try sitting through it without looking at your phone. The long take is over five and a half minutes, the scene itself is nearly 15 minutes. I hate to say it but I think that this is the film that Ti West gave up entertaining and made films he wants to make. Probably the same for Mia but I haven’t followed her career to realistically make a fair assessment on that. The split-screen montage is annoying. They fail to depict the filmmaking style of the time that it’s set, unlike the first film. There are a lot of continuity errors and I never normally notice them. I absolutely hated the ending. I liked the dance number. Overall it is best described as pretentious rubbish. On the plus side, the technical aspects are really good, it looks and sounds nice.
Report
Production Company
A24,
Bron Creative,
Little Lamb,
MAD SOLAR,
New Zealand Film Commission
Release Date Sep 16, 2022
Duration 1 h 43 m
Rating R
Tagline An X-traordinary Origin Story
Website
https://a24films.com/films/pearl
Awards
Golden Scythe Horror Awards
• 3 Wins & 12 Nominations
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 4 Wins & 5 Nominations
