Pearl is feeling rather trapped, it's 1918 and she struggles to adapt, with an overbearing mother, immobile father she'd like to smother, it all makes her feel encaged, and somewhat handicapped. A projectionist has opened up her eyes, to a world that's full of wonder and surprise, no longer can she prolong, she needs to snare life with a prong, set the world alight, go out and fight, and learn to dance along. Alas a pearl is often formed from bits of grit, which can irritate and make you curse and spit, bring your demons to the fore, compound monotony of chore, revealing attributes you'd rather not admit.

PEARL (2022) *** 1/2 Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell. Filmmaker Ti West's prequel to his X is an origin store of the titular farm girl (Goth in an exceptional, Oscar-worthy turn).

Set in pandemic stricken 1918 with WWI at its heights the film offers her background strife with the burden of her family and the stars-in-her-eyes promise of a better life only she can see. Echoes of THE WIZARD OF OZ, PSYCHO & CARRIE intermingle yet the screenplay collaborated by West & Goth proves to be cemented in something more than its horror underpinnings. But don't despair - there's enough violence and troubling images to fuel any nightmare. And the gator's back too.

Extremely entertaining throwback-appearing (think old Hollywood cinematography and score) blood-soaked origin story of a girl with big dreams. After hints of malevolence, a chain of circumstances and events leads Pearl down a dark path.

The key here is Mia Goth's performance. One minute she comes across as a sympathetic character, the next she is beyond creepy, and there are still times in this film with laughter interspersed between moments of horrific violence. Perhaps the best moment in the film is a monologue that is best described as otherworldly. Really good watch, tremendous performance.