Polygon has teams on the scene at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival to report on horror, comedy, drama and action films meant to dominate the cinematic conversation heading into awards season. This review was published to coincide with his TIFF premiere of the film.
When horror writer and director Ti West premieres his harrowing period drama X At SXSW in March 2022, the prequel end credits trailer, pearlfill the backstory of XRuthless main villain.for pearlof North America West did a similar trick when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. teaser and announcement for the third movie MaXXXineas a sequel to X. Where X is an ode to 1970s-style, rough-hewn, grainy independent horror films, says West. MaXXXine Tracking lines, color glitches and synth scores inspired by the 80’s VHS craze. MaXXXine The teaser certainly underlines.
it leaves pearl Both as the middle film of the trilogy (at least so far) and the biggest outlier of the series.with a stronger visual than Xis not only a stunning and ambitious performance from Mia Goth, but also a more hollow and meandering plot. pearl Miss the fun part of Ti West’s pastiche. At the same time, it still offers plenty of thrills and killer moments. It’s both a vividly painted nightmare and a showcase for its star.
X It is set firmly during the independent filmmaking boom of the 1970s. texas chainsaw massacre, seen through the eyes of the porn industry. Mia Goth is stellar, playing both the role of Maxine, the last girl, and Pearl, the killer who follows her. X There are plenty of laughs, brutal killings, inventive editing, and even poignant commentary on the ambitions of show business and filmmaking.
Photo: Christopher Moss/A24
pearl We turn back the clock to tell the story of Pearl, which begins in 1918. She’s a bright-eyed young woman (still played by Mia Goth) who has big dreams of being in a movie. Her husband, Howard, has left Europe and is fighting a war to end all wars. Meanwhile, Pearl lives on her parents’ farm with an oppressive German immigrant mother (Tandy Wright), and she lives with her wheelchair-bound father (Tandy Wright) during the Spanish flu pandemic. Matthew Sunderland). She has people out on the streets wearing masks covering their mouths and noses, avoiding close contact and indoor spaces, and talking about the pandemic all the time.You can hear the cacophony of her cough wherever Pearl goes. . What a coincidence!
Pearl hates her limited life under her mother’s eyes and judgment, and the only escapism she finds is movies. She dreams of being a dancer on the big screen and in front of a big crowd. Meanwhile, she dances to animals she names after her favorite movie stars. She also occasionally kills one of them to feed the crocodiles that live in a nearby pond. When she meets a selfish projectionist (David Corenswet) at her local cinema, he pitches her her big dream of going to Europe and working as a dancer. He also groomed her and showed her a stag movie. XSuddenly Pearl finds a solution and is willing to do anything to achieve it.
main reason to watch pearl It’s Mia Goth’s mesmerizing Tour de Force performance. She is innocent and hopeful enough to keep her viewers grounded in her, even if they already know about her future crimes and are appalled by her current choices. imbue the role. The look of the film may have been inspired by the wonders of Technicolor, but wizard of ozGoth’s performance is the same as Alfred Hitchcock’s performance Psychoone minute kind and charming, the next one terrifyingly confused.
Where X Heavily inspired by the cheap, DIY aesthetic of early indie thrashers. pearl It aims to reproduce a colorful vision in the vein of Mary PoppinsCinematographer Elliot Rocket imbues the film with bright, vibrant colors, soft hues and a dreamlike quality, while music by Tyler Bates and Tim Williams provides the film with an evocative symphonic sound. , make Pearl’s journey feel as grand as Mary’s. music sound. pearl The style is pure pastiche, but it works brilliantly and resonates as an homage to West rather than a parody or simple imitation.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24019553/PEARL_4.jpg)
Photo: Christopher Moss/A24
The problem is that pastiche doesn’t feel as intentional as it used to. XThe very specific 1918 setting seems to be for no other reason than to include an allegory of COVID. It’s not about specific film references that don’t reflect 1910s filmmaking, but rather that the Hayes Code makes Hollywood moral. I’m not commenting on the film’s conservatism or censorship, as it’s set decades before turning into a prisoner of conservatism. .
The script, co-written by West and Goss, doesn’t do much for deepening Pearl’s character.She’s the character’s thinnest excuse X, an ageist villain who murders young, attractive, and sexually active people out of petty jealousy and malice.When pearlWest and Goss had the opportunity to explore the environment that created Pearl’s sexual desires and homicidal urges, but mostly left it to the viewer’s imagination. X before that, pearl It presents its central character as little more than a stock-thrasher movie psycho, complete with selfish ambitions, a moral compass, and a lust for blood.
pearl West paints a beautiful picture in the film, aided by painted backgrounds and bright colors to create a gorgeous technicolor nightmare. But these pieces don’t get much more than a glossy surface. pearl Go to show it just because you are can Just because you shoot a movie in secret doesn’t mean you have to do it in secret.
pearl Debuts in theaters on September 16th.
