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Dorothy goes Toto

Pearl is a hard film to define and really benefits from the viewer knowing as little about it as possible heading in. That said, it is a prequel to 2022's X  focusing on a crucial couple of days in the youth of murderous old lady Pearl so it isn't a family friendly caper.

The vast majority of the film takes place in the same farm location as X but grindhouse grime is replaced with golden age Hollywood technicolor, giving everything a completely different look and feel. Pearl dreams of breaking into early Hollywood pictures and the opening scenes here could be straight out of The Wizard of Oz. The film looks stunning, in sharp contrast to the misery of young Pearl's life. She had thought her husband was a ticket off her family farm but now he is fighting in World War I, leaving Pearl to help her overbearing mother run the homestead and care for the disabled family patriarch. Complicating things further are a nasty global pandemic and the fact they are German immigrants. A potential escape route presents itself in the shape of a local dance audition. If Pearl can keep her murderous nature in check.

The titular character is once again played by Mia Goth and if you thought her turn pulling double duty in X was impressive she is on another level here. You feel her frustration and ambition as she dreams of breaking away from the monotony of farm life and becoming a star. Even when the blood starts to flow you are almost still on her side. Almost. Its a performance that runs the spectrum from sweet to sinister, building to a scintillating monologue and a final shot as sad as it is chilling.

With references to the early days of pornography and a central character desperate for fame there is connective tissue to X (and the forthcoming Maxxxine) and the prevalence of Spanish Flu and economic hardship allude to the cyclical nature of events. There is plenty more going on here but first and foremost its a showcase for Goth's considerable talents and one you really should see. Who knows what she'll do if you don't.

8 maggots infested poultry out of 10 birds.

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