The danger to starting something new is that you’ll get hooked. I watched the unusual horror film X because it was getting some good press, only to find out that by the time I saw it Pearl, the prequel, was underway. It took some time before Pearl came to a streaming service within reach, so once it showed up I had to sit down and see it. Like X, it has a strong element of religion in it but Pearl is really the exploration of a mental imbalance slowly taking over a life. Set toward the end of World War I, Pearl lives with her parents while her young husband is “over there.” Her father’s an invalid and her German mother is controlling and critical. (My grandmother, also of Teutonic stock, had a similar outlook, I recall from her living with us.) Pearl wants to be in show business, but down on the farm there are always chores and very little opportunity.
Along with her sister-in-law, she tries out for a dance troupe (auditions in the local church), but this is only after she has committed a triple homicide (one of them, arguably, accidental). In her mind she’s brilliant, but the judges see it more like her late mother warned her. Perhaps the most stunning shot is the long, uncut confession she makes to her sister-in-law. Of course, she now has to kill her as well. Her sister-in-law had won the dancing part, after all. The progression of Pearl’s madness is set off against a retro filming style that borrows from The Wizard of Oz. Bright colors and period costumes add to the feel and underscore that something just isn’t right. In other words, it’s quite a disturbing movie.
I suppose this film might trigger those who feel uncertain of their grip on what we normally consider reality. It also raises the danger of desiring something that is, in reality, out of reach. For someone who’s longed for a career that those who know me have always declared the one best suited for me, I felt a tug or two. My need doesn’t reach as far as murder. As a pacifist and a vegan I’m not the best candidate for such things. But I do know what it is to be denied a deeply held dream. In fact, I do dream about it with some regularity. (Teaching, for the sake of clarity, not murdering.) The plot seems to line up a little crookedly with that of X, but the two movies are very different, yet similar. I hear a third installment’s on the way, and that’s dangerous news.
