Pearl: Mia Goth’s Sublime Madness

Pearl is not a star. Even though she wishes with all her might and dances with overflowing energy, reality crushes her. The farm, that claustrophobic space, is her prison, and her dream of escaping fades with each passing day. That frustration, that accumulated rage, is what pushes her toward the abyss. However, on the screen, Mia Goth, who brings Pearl to life in the 2022 film of the same name, is indeed a star. Not only is she a revelation, but like an actress on a stage where all the lights are on her, Goth carries the weight of the story and elevates it effortlessly to a sublime level. For those of us who discovered her talent years ago, it is clear that this young actress is destined to leave an indelible mark.

Pearl is a film that disarms. It is a bewildering mix: at times, it feels like a horror movie; at others, it has the feel of a twisted fairy tale inspired by Disney classics. How can such a fragile young woman, trapped in a cycle of abuse and isolation, transform into a ruthless killer in the style of Norman Bates? This is where Ti West’s direction shines. The screenplay and the staging not only reveal Pearl's slow collapse, but they do so with a violence and rawness as unexpected as it is fascinating. Pearl’s journey is not only physical but also mental, taking viewers to places where madness is an inevitable evolution.

Mia Goth, along with West, creates a backstory for Pearl, a character already known in her adult version in X (the first of a trilogy). In X, Goth played two roles, dominating them with a skill that made it clear that her versatility knew no bounds. Now, in Pearl, she faces the challenge of portraying a young woman descending into madness, and she does so in a way that is as terrifying as it is captivating. The film’s beginning seems like a mirage: its atmosphere could evoke The Wizard of Oz, that fable of transition to a new world. But no: what happens here is much darker. Like Dorothy, Pearl is swept away by a tornado. However, this tornado will not take her to a fantasy world, but to a spiral of terror and despair. If some think Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd pairs well with

The Wizard of Oz, one might think of Tomb of the Mutilated by Cannibal Corpse to accompany Pearl.

Throughout the film, it is Pearl who relentlessly takes us all toward her personal abyss. The twist is as unexpected as it is unsettling. The threat of the Spanish flu, her husband's departure to war... everything intertwines, and it reminds us of Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others. But it is Pearl’s mother that truly echoes Hitchcock’s Psycho: the oppressive authority that, in her desperation, shapes her daughter’s psyche. It is a twisted family portrait that, far from offering comfort, only generates discomfort.

Mia Goth, in every shot, shines with an unwavering intensity. In one scene, she acts with almost childlike tenderness, while in another, she pulls us into her inner torment. Her frantic dance, her ability to immerse herself in her darkest fantasies, leaves us breathless. Watching her cry, devastated by not being selected for a musical, it is impossible not to feel the weight of her frustration. But then, that pain transforms into something much more terrifying. It is Pearl who lays a macabre feast on the table, surrounded by even stranger company, reminding us at times of the classic and terrifying The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as the tension builds and the atmosphere becomes suffocating.

It is fascinating how Goth transforms her vulnerability into fierce madness. There are moments when, watching her on screen, it becomes inevitable to think of Wendy Torrance, the terrifying Shelley Duvall from The Shining, or the contained anguish of Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins in Psycho. But Mia Goth, in her own version, takes this descent into the deepest parts of the human psyche to a completely new level. In an interview, Goth said that the character of Selma, played by Bjork in Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, would be her main inspiration for the character of Pearl.

Pearl is a work in constant change. The screenplay, full of unexpected twists, is not only a horror story but also a reflection on human fragility and the fine line between sanity and madness. Each frame, each gesture, each look from Goth has the power to overflow the screen and make us, as viewers, feel part of her anguish. The film becomes an exploration of the broken mind of a woman trapped in a toxic environment, one that drives her to make extreme and irreversible decisions.

If there is one thing clear in this journey, it’s that we are witnessing a film that, far from following the rules of the genre, challenges them and sublimates them. Pearl is a disturbing and fascinating journey, one that leaves us thinking long after the credits roll. Undoubtedly, the film is destined to occupy a prominent place in the pantheon of great horror films.