Pearl

Pearl is a terrifying tour de force from Ti West, employing a wonderful lead performance from Mia Goth that elucidates a range from the trenches of sadness to the mountains of anger and screaming. She truly makes the film memorable; her lead role here is her magnum opus, and she does her best with what she is given. The vintage styles of this film are terrific, the feelings of longing and lust are believable and apparent, and Pearl's feelings of isolation are credible. What holds this movie back is a lack of multifacetedness; Ti West can create a plausible slasher film, but is that the best for Pearl? Was Pearl meant to be confined to a movie where she only smashes eggs or kills her relatives? Get Pearl out of this movie, off of her farm, and actually use the anger and loneliness in a more inventive way.