Pearl
The year is 1918 and the Spanish Flu pandemic has the world living in isolation while World War I is wrapping up. For young Pearl (Mia Goth) the absence of her husband (Alistair Sewell) in the military and the pressures of farm life with her mother and ill father (Tandi Wright and Matthew Sunderland) have reached a breaking point. Now, with the chance of fame dangled before her, a new festering hunger will shape Pearl into the woman no one expected her to become. 
Written by Ti West and Mia Goth and Directed by West, this prequel to the film X (2022) is a delightfully stylized descent into the madness of a farm tool wielding psychopath, all shot in vibrant technicolor with period appropriate camera work and editing. For fans of horror and classic cinema this bloody love letter captures the heart with its morbid hilarity, building tension, and ultimate dissonance. Better yet, the film’s payoff with its final shot into credits caps the entire performance with the perfect kiss hello and goodbye. Worth your time this 102 minute romp doesn’t overstay welcomes and braces us nicely for what’s yet to come. Pearl is rated R.