Pearl is basically a movie about how burdensome people with disabilities are to their family members, which is sad, because so much of what made X so fun is the fact that at its core it was about the extraordinary lengths we go to accommodate the people we love.
After the initial excitement of learning that Ti West had filmed not one, but two movies on location, I began reading articles about Pearl that made me wary of what was to come. One stood out in the way it described how Pearl corrupted and spoiled all the things that made X original and fun. It’s not every day that someone tells you that the sequel actively undermines the source material, so I went in with low expectations.
It’s disappointing how much of Pearl is about the fantasy of killing your disabled spouse or parent. I can’t help but think it would’ve been better if there’d be one less member of Pearl’s family in the first place, if the film would’ve been a lot more manageable. Using Pearl’s dad as a physical prop for the first half of the film is lazy and boring. There’s no sense of empowerment for the audience to plan its own escape, and on the other end, the father’s status as an object of pity and sadness is equally dumb. Here’s hoping that Ti West spends the rest of his days editing the six other films he shot on location there simultaneously and Mia Goth finds a project worthier of her extraordinary talents. Saw Sam Levinson’s name on the executive producer list and cannot imagine what he was asked to comment on for this movie.
