Film No. 19 (2023) March 16th. 11:15 AM LUNA LEEDERVILLE, Cine 4, Leederville.
"Now caring for your family during these times is admirable, but you only get one take at this life" (Pearl's new friend, The Projectionist, offers Pearl some advice. Advice that has Pearl captivated).
WINNER : BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE (Mia Goth), BEST HORROR FILM (Ti West) . Hawaii Film Critics Society.
Within eighteen months Mia Goth and Ti West have created two minor classics. 29 year old Goth and 40 something West burst onto our screens with X (2022) and have followed up with PEARL (2023), a prequel. Both belong to the slasher genre, but each are quite different in form and story. Goth and West have blown fresh life into a very popular genre, so simply, and with such respect for cinema.
What do I mean when I refer to PEARL as a prequel? In the context of cinema, PEARL is a perfect example. Writer/Director Ty West, with the help of fellow scribe Mia Goth devised X (2022); the story of amateur film-makers keen to try their hand at porn. They hire a barn, it's the 70's and their landlord is a very strange lady.- you guessed it, her name is Pearl. It turns our Pearl is a bit more than strange.
Cut to PEARL. It's 1918 and we meet young Pearl living with an unloving mother and a physically dependent, wheelchair bound father on a ranch. The war is over and she waits for her husband to return. It's the pandemic (Spanish Flu) that is causing most angst in the community. But from Pearl's POV it's her desire to escape the prison that is home and the oppressive rule of her mother. She wants to dance. Dance may be her passport. There you have it. PEARL the prequel. If you have seen X then pennies will drop immediately. You don't, however have to have seen X.
This is a cleverly devised franchise. West and Goth are serious film-makers. SAW began with a one off mini classic but with every sequel from then on, predictability ruled. The West and Goth camp have far more control over their story telling. And the artistic aura that is captured in their films reflects the respect they have for a genre they want to re-represent. Clever!
PEARL and X are only the beginning, MAXXXINE is next. I can't wait. 10GUMS.
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