All of us want to be successful in life and achieve our dreams, but sometimes we don't notice that too much living in fantasy with our desires will turn us into a person that people don't want to meet.
Pearl is a 2022 horror or psychological slasher film directed by Ti West and distributed by A24. It is a prequel to the horror movie titled X, wherein it was the origin story of an elderly woman named Pearl. The movie was rated X because of its intense violence and graphic content. It was released on September 16, 2022, with a running time of one hour and forty-two minutes. It has already received two awards from the Catalan Film Festival: Best Actress Secció Oficial Fantàstic for Mia Goth and Best Director Secció Oficial Fantàstic for Ti West. It has also got one nomination, Official Fantàstic Competition Best Motion Picture for Ti West.
The movie is about Pearl, who lives on a farm with her mother and her paralyzed father. Being a close friend to her sister-in-law while waiting for her husband to return home and living on a farm with her family would make people believe that the girl was normal. Unbeknownst to us, she was slowly letting a monstrous self emerge from deep inside. She has two goals in life: to leave the farm and be loved by many people by being a dancer. She is tired of taking care of her father and wants to be free from her controlling mother. She wished her parents were dead because she felt like they were robbing her of the life she wanted.
The calm farm setting, the romantic music, the title's curved font, and the scenes where the main character, Pearl, was simply dancing in her room and daydreaming about being a dancer will all make you feel more like you were watching a romantic movie than a horror one during the first part of the movie. But all it was doing was indicating the quiet before the storm. The first act of the film has a lot of symbols. Her mother doesn't support her dreams, as evidenced by the fact that she reprimanded her for wearing her dress and simply dancing in her room. It also demonstrates her mother's dominance by making her do the farmwork. When Pearl killed the innocent duck for no reason and fed it to her alligator friend named Theda indicates that there's something wrong with the girl, and this is not a romantic movie.
Mia Goth, one of the film's authors, played the role of Pearl. She was recognized for her outstanding performance in the role. She portrayed a girl with several emotional issues, a lack of affection, and a sense of community, while also having a lofty aspiration, making her the most challenging character. Whether Pearl was killing someone or was simply happy or lonely, she conveyed these emotions to the audience through her acting. Especially her monologue part at the climax of the movie. Even though she was only sitting and talking, people could still feel all the pain and agony she was going through. Pearl's parents were other characters who performed well in portraying the character. Her mother is stern and distant, and her father is maybe paralyzed but successfully conveys feelings through his eyes.
The structure of the movie was explicit. As it was a prequel, it would make sense and provide further context for movie X. The editing and cinematography were excellent, especially during the most exciting scenes. Unblurred portions of dead bodies only serve to evoke new sensations in viewers. The sound effects, camera movements, and angles are on point: it will make you anticipate more and be nervous about what happens next. Pearl is a type of horror movie that will not scare you because of jump scares but because of the tension-filled, suspenseful scenes and how the lead will dispatch the people around her. It won't just make you frightened and thrilled but also sympathy and sadness for all the killings of Pearl and for Pearl herself.
The movie is not just about random killings; it also tackles different problems that we face in the real world. One of them is about mental health, and the movie serves to show how our surroundings have an impact on us. If we can't handle it, we are gradually changing into new people we don't want to become. In Pearl's case, her lack of parental love and support, loneliness, envy, freedom, and a sense of belonging led her to develop into a psychopath. She killed people who would stand in her way or when she thought they were about to leave her because she was so afraid of being left behind. At the end of the film, Pearl pictured herself experiencing the mother's love that she had never experienced, proving how the love, attention, and support of the people we love can help us feel at peace.
We all have many aspirations, but there is a proper approach and moment to fulfill them. Let's not rush ourselves, as the right time will come for us. Each of us is a different kind of Pearl, we may be okay outside, but each of us has our own internal battles to contend with. Sometimes we shine brightly, but other times we lose that shine and need someone to help us shine once more. Remember that you are beautiful and loved no matter what kind of Pearl you are. Let's kill the demon inside us, not ourselves and not other people.
Comentários