IR Film Review: PEARL [A24]
The nature of the film "Pearl" takes into account that we know the lead character will be a bad seed whatever time period she is in. But what Mia Goth brings to this incarnation after playing a removed version of this person in "X" last year is very dynamic. Aside from Ti West's stylistic touches of making almost a frontier story mixed with a noir set in 1918, "Pearl" brims with Goth's energy. The character has so many demons but simply the chemistry in her is wrong and Goth gets that right. It is an interesting irony. Pearl wants so hard to please but her instinct tells her all the wrong things to do. At one point the camera stays on her for at least five minutes as she starts to break down. Even though she might be glancing at the lines the further it goes on, the power of it at the very beginning is palpable because it might be the first crack she has let through and it is riveting and, by many means, difficult to do. Pearl is performing for everyone in every scene including herself.
Director West is interesting as he shows the desires that this young lady has but it is like a pendulum of lust versus simple longing for affection that she can never fulfill. Goth can go to these places which can be dangerous but she is good at it, like something is about to break. This is a performer not too far removed from "Emma" which is child's play compared to this. While the texture is rooted in gothic, the almost studio system style approach including misdirects which could have been unmistakenly gruesome for the 1st half is interesting because one wonders when it will disappear downhill. One would think West would Easter Egg a lot but this one is very controlled and linear and yet just as visceral. And it still plays with the notion of being a star.
Now while Maxxine in "X" was influenced by a different intensity, Pearl's background is an interesting amalgamation. She wants something she can't have yet knows that. She acts out and yet her impulses take over. She is trapped and yet she is free in a way. The music plays to this but also the way Goth just pushes the scene a little further than you think it should. It reflects in her emotive eyes and the pearly white smile that you think will just crack like porcelain. Even the last shot which got a few snickers is all about that break where in her mind she thinks life will just move on. "Pearl" is West's most dynamic film yet because it puts itself forward plainly and still delivers while offering almost classical filmmaking style as a homage but also on irony. Meanwhile the power of Goth, even if there is a touch of sardonic flavor, is that she plays the truth fully committed in every scene and that is fantastic to behold. B+
By Tim Wassberg
