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Pearl ()

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In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.
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Photos and Videos

130 photos | 5 videos

Cast

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Pearl
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Projectionist
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Ruth
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Father
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Mitsy
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Howard
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Margaret (as Amelia Reid-Meredith)
Gabe McDonnell ...
Woman
Lauren Stewart ...
Pianist (as Lauren May Stewart)
Todd Rippon ...
Director
Grace Acheson ...
Ticket Taker

Directed by

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Ti West

Written by

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Ti West ... (based on characters created by)
 
Ti West ... (written by) &
Mia Goth ... (written by)

Produced by

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Jared Connon ... line producer
Kid Cudi ... executive producer (as Scott Mescudi)
Dennis Cummings ... executive producer
Mia Goth ... executive producer
Jacob Jaffke ... producer (p.g.a.)
Harrison Kreiss ... producer
Ashley Levinson ... executive producer
Sam Levinson ... executive producer
Karina Manashil ... executive producer
Peter Phok ... executive producer
Kevin Turen ... producer
Ti West ... producer (p.g.a.)

Music by

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Tyler Bates
Tim Williams

Cinematography by

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Eliot Rockett ... director of photography

Editing by

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Ti West

Editorial Department

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Rob Gordon ... senior online editor
Jacob Kirby ... Color Assist: Picture Shop
Damian McDonnell ... colourist
Scott Milligan ... assistant editor

Casting By

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Karla Spika ... (casting by)
Stu Turner

Production Design by

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Tom Hammock

Art Direction by

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Ben Milsom ... supervising art director

Set Decoration by

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Thomas Salpietro

Costume Design by

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Malgosia Turzanska

Makeup Department

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Brett Butt ... prosthetics mold maker: Weta Workshop
Jason Docherty ... Key prosthetics artist
Katie Fox-Heywood ... makeup artist
Rob Gillies ... Head of Manufacture Weta Workshop
Michael Kenna ... prosthetics
Manny Lemus ... lead silicone prosthetic technician / makeup assistant
Sanchia Reed ... hair and makeup artist
Sarah Rubano ... makeup & hair designer

Production Management

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Jo Hiles ... production manager
Jacob Jaffke ... unit production manager
Peter Phok ... post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Sinéad Doherty ... third assistant director
Jeannie Grace ... third assistant director
Sophie Massey Broadbery ... second assistant director

Art Department

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Grace Acheson ... Standby props
Brett Blenkin ... construction manager
Sarah Dunn ... graphic artist
Courtney Hooper ... art department coordinator
Thomas Hornig ... carpenter
Toby McCartney ... carpenter
Gamel Kate O'Brien ... art department assistant
Patrick Pabalan ... Assistant Set Dresser
Phred Palmer ... property master
Lauren Stewart ... standby painter

Sound Department

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Tina Babakishvili ... foley coordinator
Karen Baker Landers ... supervising sound editor
Biko Gogaladze ... foley artist
Zack Goldsborough ... sound recordist
Chris Hiles ... production sound mixer
Daniel S. Irwin ... supervising dialogue/adr editor
Beso Kacharava ... foley supervisor
Dan Larkin ... adr recordist
Giorgi Lekishvili ... foley mixer
Jessy McNamara ... Sound utility
Alex Nomick ... sound effects editor
Jacob Ortiz ... adr mixer
Alexander Sanikidze ... foley editor
Sam Spicer ... boom operator
Peter Staubli ... re-recording mixer / sound designer

Special Effects by

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McGregor Allen ... sculptor
Bam Blaikie ... special effects technician
Karl Chisholm ... senior pyrotechnician
Trevor Kiely ... Senior Special Effects Technician
Rita Maxim ... Production Manager: Weta Workshop
Steven Saunders ... Creature Fabrication: Scale Studios
Carlos Slater ... Digital Archivist-Weta Workshop
Hannah Spellman ... prosthetics: Weta Workshop

Visual Effects by

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Paul Campion ... matte painter
Christian Debney ... visual effects producer: Stage23
Petra Lovrencic ... visual effects producer: Stage23
Kurt Morissette ... compositor
Marc Morissette ... visual effects supervisor: Cluster Films
Tom Morissette ... visual effects producer
Jared Pejkovic ... compositor
Frank Rueter ... visual effects supervisor: OHUfx
Marco Sgubin ... matchmove artist
Kara Vandeleur ... compositor : OHUfx / visual effects producer: OHUfx
Yi Zhang ... compositor

Stunts

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Andrew Cottle ... stunt double
Augie Davis ... stunt coordinator
James R.W. Smith ... utility stunts
Tim Wong ... fire stunt master

Camera and Electrical Department

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Daniel Anderson ... second assistant camera
Kerry Brown ... Poster shoot and BTS Camera
Dominic Crossman ... console programmer
Brendan Dee ... Video Operator
Martin Le Breton ... digital imaging technician
Andreas Mahn ... first assistant camera: additional
Mitch Martinez ... additional footage
Reuben Morrison ... lighting technician
Chris Moss ... still photographer
Elyse Phee ... lighting assistant
Bode Riis ... second assistant camera
Adrian Sealy-O'Donnell ... Lighting technician / lighting technician
Fiona Janet Young ... first assistant camera

Casting Department

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Joe Fisher ... casting associate
Liam McKee ... Background Casting Assistant
Maisy McLeod-Riera ... background casting
Karla Spika ... casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Taipua Adams ... Costume Breakdown
Lucy Edwards ... costume pa
Sally Gray ... set costumer (creditOnly)
Sally Gray ... background costumer
Cilla Harnett ... costume supervisor
Emily Ireland ... shopper
Daisy Marcuzzi ... assistant costume designer
Julia McFadden ... tailor
Melissa Mundt ... stitcher
Gabriela Rocha ... set costumer
Jasmine Rogers-Scott ... Key set costumer
Sophie Sargent ... stitcher
Holly Williamson ... truck costumer
Flo Foxworthy ... specialty costume maker (uncredited)

Location Management

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Paul Stieglbauer ... location manager
Nadeem Wali ... location assistant

Music Department

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Ariel Contreras-Esquivel ... ochestration
Justin Crosby ... Sound Design
Élan Klein Jaffke ... music consultant
Drew Krassowski ... orchestrator
Justin Moshkevich ... score mixer
The Nashville Scoring Orchestra ... orchestra
Thea Prevalsky ... assistant score mixer
Joe Rudge ... music supervisor
Gil Sharone ... musician: drums & percussion
Rani Sharone ... musician: bass
Nick Spezia ... score recording engineer
Vesislava Todorova ... Cellist
Alan Umstead ... orchestra contractor/concertmaster

Script and Continuity Department

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Billie Ruck ... script supervisor

Transportation Department

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Jim Carroll ... cast driver

Additional Crew

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Monique Andrews ... assistant accountant
Wade Beaven ... key unit assistant
Stacey Davis ... production counsel
Lisa Ghione ... EPK Interviewer
Robbie Taylor Hunt ... intimacy coordinator
Alex Hunter ... assistant production coordinator
Neal Jonas ... Titles Designer
Holly Keeman ... production coordinator
Karen Kong ... payroll accountant
Courtney Mayhew ... unit publicist
Liam McKee ... stand-in
Dion Neill ... Security Director: Protective Services
Anthony Pizzini ... clearance supervisor
William Michael Redman ... audio description narrator
Reneau Skinner ... production accountant
Stella Wilton-Stuart ... production secretary

Thanks

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Melissa Lawrence ... special thanks
Maureen Toth ... special thanks

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Trapped on her family's isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a glamorous life like she's seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations, and repressions all colliding in this origin story of X's iconic villain.

Plot Keywords
Taglines An X-traordinary Origin Story See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • 珀尔 (China, Mandarin title)
  • Пэрл (Russia)
  • 펄 (South Korea)
  • Pearl パール (Japan, Japanese title)
  • Перл (Ukraine)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 103 min
Official Sites
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia Pearl's climactic monologue goes for 7 minutes 57 seconds, consists of seventeen shots, and the last shot goes for 5 minutes 36 seconds. See more »
Goofs The movie "Palace Follies" that Pearl goes to see at the theater has accompanying sound and music. Given that "Pearl" is set in 1918, this is about eight years too early. Although experimental short films sound had been shown as early as 1894, there were no feature-length movies with synchronized sound before "Don Juan" was released in 1926. Of course, given Pearl's troubled mental state, she may have simply imagined the music. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Pearl (2022). See more »
Soundtracks Obsession See more »
Crazy Credits The strained smile that Goth holds for more than three minutes behind the closing credits was a spur-of-the-moment inspiration from Ti West. He had planned to film her smiling and then choose a freeze-frame of the most unsettling shot, but at the last minute suggested "What if you hold a smile as long as you possibly can and let's see what happens?" They shot the smile, which "goes from comical to haunting to deeply disturbing the longer it continues," in one take. See more »
Quotes Mitzy: What's really the matter?
Pearl: I don't feel... well.
Mitzy: You're not comin' down with something, are you?
Pearl: No, it's nothing like that.
Mitzy: [breathes sigh of relief] Oh, thank goodness. If I snuck out of the house and ended up bringing home another bug or germ, my mother and father would just kill me.
Pearl: I'm worried there may be something really wrong with me, Mitzy.
Mitzy: How do you mean?
Pearl: Seems like there's something missing in me that the rest of the world has.
Mitzy: Have you told Howard?
Pearl: [shakes her head] I've never spoken about it out loud to anyone. I'm so afraid of what people might think.
Mitzy: Pearl, Howard's your husband. He adores you. You shouldn't be afraid to tell him how you feel.
Pearl: I'm scared of what I might say.
Mitzy: Well, practice on me first, then.
[smiles]
Mitzy: Pretend I'm Howard and you say whatever's on your mind.
Pearl: I can't.
Mitzy: Yes, you can. Go on. Get it all out.
Pearl: [quietly] Really?
Mitzy: Yes! Trust me.
[Pearl pauses and closes her eyes]
Pearl: Howard...
Mitzy: Go ahead, Pearl.
[Pearl opens her eyes]
Pearl: I hate you so much for leaving me here sometimes I hope you die.
[Mitzy's taken aback]
Pearl: I'm sorry. I feel awful admitting that, but it's the truth. I was curious... about other men. I'm sure you don't want to hear about a stranger satisfying your wife, and I swear it was only once. It was a mistake. It wasn't him that I wanted, I know that now. I just hope things can go back to the way they were before, but I don't see how they could. Not after the things I've done.
Mitzy: [cautiously] What else... have you done, Pearl?
Pearl: Oh, Howard. I realize how this all must sound. Honestly, there was a time I was flattered to have someone as handsome as you pine over me. You're such a good person, I know that. I made sure to always be mindful with your heart. I never wanted you to feel jealous. It's an awful feeling like a rot the way it just twists and turns at your insides. I know that aching so well. I feel it.. whenever I see others whose lives come easy because.. the truth is I'm not really a good person.
Mitzy: [now totally spooked, but feigning a smile] Pearl, I think I should...
Pearl: The reason I kept my eyes to the ground to avoid other men was never to avoid hurting you. It's cause I understood how lucky I was to have your attention. I may be a poor farm girl, Howard, but I'm not stupid. I spotted you the moment you came to live with us. You worked hard like the other farmhands, but you were different. You were from somewhere; a nice, comfortable place that you could return to whenever you wanted. I'm so desperate to have that. All my life I've wanted off this farm and you were my ticket out. So... I made sure to never let you see who I really was. Worked like a charm, too. Then, you finally brought me back to your home to meet your family and it was just as I hoped. Like straight out of the pictures. At least that's what it felt like to me. But you didn't want it. You wanted to stay here with me on our farm and it made me so angry. How could you? I'm certain you knew I hated it here. You must've. How could you be so selfish and cruel after all I've done to make you happy?
[tearing up now]
Pearl: I was pregnant with your baby. I never wanted to be a mother. I loathed the feeling of it growing inside me. Felt that sickness. Pulling, sucking on me like some needy animal in a barn. How could I be responsible for another life? Life terrifies me. It's harsh, and bleak, and draining. I was so relieved when it died. It was one less weight keeping me here but then the war came and you left me too. Why did you leave me, Howard? I hate feeling like this. It's so pathetic. Do people like you ever feel this way? Figure you don't... you seem so perfect all the time. Lord must have been generous to you. He never answers any of my prayers. I don't know why. What did I do? What is wrong with me? Please just tell me so I can get better. I don't wanna end up like Mama I wanna be dancing up on the screen like the pretty girls in the pictures. I want what they have so badly... to be perfect... to be loved by as many people as possible to make up for all my time spent suffering. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and a fear washes over me 'cause what if this is it? What if this is right where I belong? I'm a failure. I'm not pretty, or naturally pleasant, or friendly. I'm not smart, or funny, or confident. I'm exactly what Mama said I was: weak. But I don't know why. What did I do? Why wasn't my family like yours? I hate what it feels like to be me and not you. I'm so scared that when you finally come home you'll see me and be frightened like everyone else is. I know what I've done. Bad things. Terrible, awful, murderous things. I regret them now, but I liked how they felt. I wish I didn't, but I did. At first, it was only animals smaller than myself. Nothing with feelings, nothing that could hurt me back. Felt good. Killing's easier than you'd think. 'Til recently; with Mama and the boy from the picture house - they were different. They were more meaningful. I hurt them so they too might know what it feels like to suffer, but poor Daddy didn't deserve that. I wish I hadn't done what I did. Mama meant well. She had a hard life. She only wanted a home to feel safe in, I can see that. I thought I hated her, but I just wanted to feel safe too. My Lord. I made such a mess of things. I don't know how much more I can take. I need to clean this up. All of it. I need to make things right before you see me again. Maybe if I could turn this farm into a home just like you wanted, things will finally be different. I can forgive. I can be who you want me to be. If you'll just stay with me. Would you do that, please? I can't be all by myself anymore. It's too hard.
[She wipes tears off her face]
Pearl: We can love each other. I'll do that for you; if you really meant all that. 'Til death do us part. It'd be enough. Just you and me here on this farm. All I really want is to be loved. I've had such a hard time without it lately.
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