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Pearl (2022)
You’re in for a wild ride with Ti West’s 2022 film, Pearl. Set during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, the movie follows an isolated farm girl’s yearning to be an entertainer. Mia Goth stars as the titular character, supported by a stellar cast including Tandi Wright and Tyler Bates. With its intense violence, gore, strong sexual content, and graphic nudity, the movie will keep you on the edge of your seat.
But if you can look past these elements, you’ll find a storybook world of potential. The Technicolor, Tyler Bates, and Tim Williams score will surprise you. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable experience with Pearl – it’s sure to be worth the watch.
Cast and Characters
The remarkable cast of ‘Pearl’ brings the story to life, with Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Matthew Sunderland, and Tandi Wright, captivating viewers with their gripping performances. Mia Goth shines as Pearl, a farm girl struggling to escape her tragic past and oppressive family. Throughout the movie, Goth’s performance beautifully captures Pearl’s journey of character development, from her initial naivete to her eventual understanding of her family dynamics.
David Corenswet, Matthew Sunderland, and Tandi Wright all do an excellent job of portraying their characters’ complex emotions. Wright, in particular, who plays Pearl’s mother, Ruth, is a standout for her haunting portrayal of disgust. Despite the dark humor sprinkled throughout the movie, the performances from the cast keep the tone from becoming too heavy.
The tragic ending is emotionally gripping, with Mia Goth’s final shot of her face in a wide, forced smile with sporadically twitching facial muscles and welling tears serving to punctuate the film’s themes of repression and the corrosive need to be seen at all costs.
Plot and Themes
Repression and desire clash as an isolated farm girl in 1918 Texas, desperate to be an entertainer, finds solace in the movies despite the haunting reality of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Pearl, played by Mia Goth, is a character study of a grief-stricken woman who is desperate to make a connection and find pleasure in life. Her past of murdering animals and impaling a duck with a pitchfork is a stark reminder of her repression, and the film explores the frightening nature of actors who have a corrosive need to be seen at all costs.
The production design and score by Tyler Bates and Tim Williams are notable elements, as is the cinematography, which presents a storybook world of potential with glowing Technicolor. Repression is a common theme in the film, making a connection, pleasure, and fruitful endeavors all the more out of reach. Pearl’s final shot of the film, a wide forced a smile with sporadically twitching facial muscles and welling tears, poignantly expresses her desire for a better life and to be a movie star.
Cinematography and Score
Glowing Technicolor capturing sorrowful scenes, Tyler Bates and Tim Williams’ score creating a dream-like atmosphere, the cinematography and score of ‘Pearl’ are notable elements. The cinematographer, Ti West, creates a storybook world of potential with rich colors and vivid imagery.
The haunting score by Tyler Bates and Tim Williams adds to the dream-like atmosphere and enhances the powerful, nuanced performances of Mia Goth and the other cast members. The score’s captivating sound intensifies each scene’s emotions and heightens the viewer’s experience. ‘Pearl’ is a stunningly beautiful film that captures the isolation and repression of the time period, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the story fully.
Production Design
You’ll be amazed by the production design of ‘Pearl’, it really brings the story to life and creates an atmosphere like no other. The art direction, set design, sound design, color grading, and costume design all contribute to the unique world that is created in this film. The production design is detailed and the movie is full of symbolism.
The sets are carefully crafted and each of the characters have a distinct costume that tells us something about them. The color grading is done in such a way that it creates a dream-like atmosphere and the sound design is used to enhance the scene’s emotions. The production design of this film is impeccable and it is easy to be enveloped in the world that it creates.
Rating and Release
Rated R for strong violence, gore, sexual content, and graphic nudity, ‘Pearl’ was released in 2022 and is sure to leave an impact. The movie’s rating and release date reflect the story’s dark characterization of Pearl and its exploration of genre tropes. Ti West’s direction and Mia Goth’s performance as Pearl provide an emotionally charged journey that is both harrowing and captivating.
‘Pearl’ is an intense movie that is not for the faint of heart, but is definitely worth watching. The acting performances, production design, and score by Tyler Bates and Tim Williams provide an unsettling and mesmerizing atmosphere. ‘Pearl’ is a must-see movie that will haunt viewers long after they have left the theater.
Conclusion
Pearl is a powerful and unsettling movie that demands to be seen. With its dazzling visuals, gripping score, and extraordinary performances, it is a movie that will stay with you long after you’ve watched it. The movie confronts the horrors of isolation, repression, and the corrosive need to be seen in a way that will make you think twice about what it takes to be an entertainer. Despite its strong violence, gore, and graphic nudity, Pearl is a movie that deserves to be seen.
