Pearl 2022

In the midst of 1918’s dual pandemics - the Spanish Flu ravaging Texas and World War I waging on across Europe - a young Pearl (Mia Goth) finds herself trapped in a suffocating reality. Her days are filled with the mundane drudgery of farm life, forced to tend to her paraplegic father (Matthew Sunderland) and cows under the watchful eye of her abusive mother Ruth (Tandi Wright), who delights in crushing Pearl’s spirits. The monotony is only interrupted by Pearl’s vivid dreams of stardom, a fleeting escape from the harsh circumstances that surround her.

As she navigates this treacherous landscape, Pearl’s thoughts are divided between her husband Howard (Alistair Sewell), serving overseas, and her own aspirations for fame. Ruth, however, has no intention of allowing Pearl to pursue her desires, instead urging her to remain on the farm where she can be controlled.

One day, Pearl takes a chance and pedals into town, seeking solace in the local movie theater. There, she meets the charming Projectionist (David Corenswet), who shares with her his passion for film and offers her a glimpse of hope. As they bond over their shared love of cinema, Pearl finds herself smitten with the man, but fate has other plans. A snippet of the film reel he gives her goes missing, leaving her to search frantically through a cornfield for what feels like an eternity.

In a moment of desperation, Pearl turns to a scarecrow, pouring out her emotions as she kisses and straddles the lifeless figure, pretending it’s the Projectionist. The release is short-lived, however, as reality sets in and she’s forced to confront the harsh truth: she’s married, and this fleeting connection with the Projectionist can never be.

As tensions simmer on the farm, Pearl’s sister-in-law Mitzy (Emma Jenkins-Purro) and her mother arrive, bearing a suckling pig as a symbol of their charity. Ruth rejects the offering, leaving it to rot outside - a cruel reminder of her own unyielding nature. The visit serves only to further fuel Pearl’s desire for escape, as she becomes increasingly fixated on the possibility of joining a traveling troupe at her church.

As the days blend together in a haze of drudgery and despair, Pearl finds herself torn between her duty to care for her father and her own longing for freedom. In a moment of desperation, she contemplates ending his life to free them all from their suffering - a grim reminder of the dire circumstances that have driven her to such desperate measures.

As Pearl revisits the theater, she finds herself in the presence of the enigmatic Projectionist once more. This time, he shares with her an unconventional film, “A Free Ride,” touted as one of the world’s first pornographic productions, which he believes will usher in a new era for the industry. Pearl, meanwhile, opens up about her aspirations and ambitions, but her words are tinged with frustration, as she confides that her parents’ overbearing influence holds her back from achieving her dreams. In a moment of candor, she lets slip a morbid desire that she hastily retracts. The Projectionist, ever the empathetic listener, encourages Pearl to pursue her passions and not let anyone deter her.

In the aftermath of this poignant conversation, tensions simmer beneath the surface as Pearl’s dinner with Ruth descends into chaos. Ruth, armed with a pamphlet bearing Pearl’s audition information, launches a scathing attack on Pearl’s aspirations, citing her own sacrifices and responsibilities in caring for her husband. The two women engage in a heated argument, their voices rising to a crescendo as they slap each other, the atmosphere growing increasingly volatile. In a flash of anger, Pearl pushes Ruth towards the fireplace, where flames engulf her. Desperate to extinguish the blaze, Pearl pours boiling water on Ruth and then drags her to the basement, where she lies barely alive. As the dust settles, Pearl retreats to the theater, where she collapses into a deep sleep beside the Projectionist.

The following day, Pearl awakens with renewed purpose, preparing for her audition. The Projectionist drives her home, only to stumble upon the unsettling scene in the kitchen and the quiet figure of Pearl’s father sitting alone. As they move towards the back door, the sound of thudding echoes through the air (Ruth’s labored breathing from the basement), which Pearl attributes to her absent dog. The Projectionist’s growing unease is palpable as he attempts to extricate himself from the situation, but Pearl becomes increasingly agitated, perceiving his departure as a rejection and an abandonment of her aspirations. As the Projectionist tries to leave, Pearl seizes a pitchfork and impales him twice, allowing his car to roll into the lake where Theda awaits. In a gruesome aftermath, Pearl dispatches Ruth down the stairs before turning her attention towards her father, wrapping him in a suffocating blanket.

Here’s my rephrased version:

As Pearl (dressed in a fiery red gown) arrives at the audition alongside Mitzy, their eyes meet with those of another young woman who is visibly distraught due to her recent rejection. With determination etched on her face, Pearl takes center stage and performs an impassioned dance routine, transported to a war-torn setting as envisioned by her own creative mind. However, the judges’ verdict is swift and merciless: they dismiss her without hesitation. Pearl’s anguish reaches a fever pitch as she conjures up images of her parents, The Projectionist, and Howard, pleading for a second chance despite the harsh reality that the panel is searching for someone with an intangible quality known as “X factor.” Her despair becomes so overwhelming that she breaks down in tears outside, only to be comforted by Mitzy.

As the two women return home, they’re met with a gruesome spectacle: a rotting pig being consumed by maggots. Once inside, Pearl’s anguish boils over, and she unloads her emotions on Mitzy, pouring out her heartache about Howard’s departure for war. Her words are laced with resentment, tinged with a hint of longing to escape the suffocating confines of their rural life. In a shocking revelation, Pearl confesses to her illicit affair with The Projectionist and acknowledges the brutal murders she committed against her parents and lover, although she expresses regret over taking her father’s life. As Mitzy begins to depart, Pearl mistakenly assumes that her friend has landed the coveted role, prompting Mitzy to correct her: she sacrificed her own chance at stardom so that she could finally leave the farm behind.

Pearl’s anger turns to violence as she seizes an axe and brutally dispatches Mitzy. With her friend’s lifeless body discarded, Pearl proceeds to dismember her remains and feeds them to Theda, a gruesome act of cannibalism. In a haunting display of necrophilia, Pearl then envisions Ruth, now resurrected in all her beauty, speaking words of love and acceptance - the very thing she craved from her own mother but never received. As an eerie calm settles over the scene, Pearl arranges her parents’ corpses along with the rotting pig around the dinner table, staging a macabre family gathering.

The war-weary Howard returns home to find his household transformed into a surreal nightmare. Pearl, beaming with a forced smile, greets him with an unsettling air of normalcy, tears streaming down her face as the credits roll.