There's a bit of a disclaimer here, as I haven't seen the first film, X, in this Ti West series. While I know the connection between the films, I don't think that X is a prerequisite for Pearl, and I was in the mood to watch something good. I like the two Ti West movies I've seen - House of the Devil and The Innkeepers - so I figured Pearl was a safe bet.
Set in 1918, Pearl (the fantastic Mia Goth) is stuck on the family farm after her husband goes off to war. She is lonely and isolated, with the country in the grip of the Spanish flu pandemic, with her father stricken and combined to a wheelchair and her mother bitter, cold and cruel in the face of what her life has become. Pearl dreams of being a star, a dancer for the Follies, and goes to the movies as often as she can to distract herself from her own disturbing thoughts. And actions, if her mother is to be believed - which she can, as early on, Pearl kills an innocent goose and feeds its carcass to the neighborhood alligator.
Note: I was very distracted by the alligator. I couldn't place Pearl's accent, and with the corn fields I assumed the movie was set somewhere in the midwest. Where there are no wild alligators. But online research sets the movie in Texas and, yes, Virginia, there are wild alligators in that state.
Pearl strikes up a relationship with the movie projectionist in town. I thought he was sleazy; he called himself "bohemian." Between him and a dance troupe audition, Pearl has high hopes for fleeing her depressing, limiting life. But after a fight with her mother, things unravel fast.
Ti West is so good at atmosphere and mood, building suspense despite the cheerful music and absolutely no reason to expect tension. And Mia Goth is amazing: expressive and emotionally turning on a dime. Her lengthy monologue to her sister-in-law is incredible And watching her hold that final rictus grin over the closing credits was truly awesome - creepy, heartbreaking and terrifying in turn.
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