Pearl

after finishing x and maxxxine, I felt like I had to rewatch this despite just watching pearl two days ago. Especially after finishing the trilogy, I think this movie stands out more than the other two and is just more interesting as a whole. Pearl’s opening, despite being the same as X, had a better hook for the movie if that’s the right wording. With the barn doors opening to the bright colored family’s house and the main title song playing as pearl practices dancing, it set the mood right for the rest of the film. I really enjoyed this movie, the acting, the soundtracks, the scenes, everything was set perfectly.  What really makes this movie stand out to me is how deeply the movie commits to Pearl’s character. This movie is less focused on surprising people or drawing reactions rather more on letting the viewer live inside of Pearl’s head and seeing her thoughts and her ambitions of wanting to become someone who she dreams to be. Classified as a Horror movie, you’d expect constant violence or constant action, however the movie builds tension through Pearl’s own personality and her desire to be and be seen as something better than she is now. That’s what I like about this movie. Finishing the movie, you don’t feel like you’re watching a movie but instead watching the story of a character unfolding, which is also a good bridge to the next movie, X.  Mia Goth’s performance as Pearl is amazing. Her expressions and continuous outbursts throughout the movie feel genuine, not like she’s just putting on a show for the act. The eight minute monologue at the end of the movie is one of the strongest moments of the movie and possibly even the trilogy. It was portrayed in a great way where you feel uncomfortable watching Pearl unload all her guilt and everything she’s been holding in but you also start to almost feel bad for her despite all the horrible things she’s committing to and saying. Watching from home and not from the theater, I usually end up pausing the movie a bunch of times to pick up my phone which is a bad habit, but the way Mia Goth played Pearl and fully committed to the character had me engaged the whole hour and forty minutes of the film.  Finally, I really like how this movie was shot and styled compared to X and MaXXXine or even other movies in general. The bright colors immediately on your screen from the start of the film, and the cheerful and bright music that contrast with the darkness of the plot make the movie even better. Everything about how this movie was played out was great. It really felt like the late 1910s throughout the movie. Overall, Pearl felt more of the emotional and more to the heart film of the X trilogy, and watching the other two films made me understand and appreciate the movie even more.