It’s not often that the second chapter in a trilogy is the strongest one. Yet, with director Ti West’s X trilogy, its middle portion, “Pearl,” is the frontrunner of the pack combining a gripping (but very tragic) character study with some well-crafted twists, and just enough violence to shock, without spilling over into gratuitous gore. This 2022 movie arrived on Netflix last summer (in August), and since then it’s been one of the service’s very best psychological thrillers.
Unfortunately, good movies don’t always stick around for the long haul, and while “Pearl” only arrived on one of the best streaming services a short six months ago, it’s already set to wave goodbye and move over to pastures new this week (or in this case, head over to Max). Netflix has confirmed that “Pearl” will be removed from its library on Saturday, February 15, 2025.
However, you haven’t missed your chance to stream this chilling horror thriller quite yet, you’ve still got a few days left to stream “Pearl.” Here’s why any fan of masterfully crafted character-focused flicks needs to have this acclaimed movie (it’s currently 93% on Rotten Tomoates) at the very top of their Netflix watchlist and get streaming as soon as possible…
What is ‘Pearl’ about?
A prequel follow-up to Ti West’s slasher “X,” and set in 1918, “Pearl” explores the difficult adolescent of its eponymous character, who served as the primary antagonist in the trilogy’s first chapter. And like many villain origin stories, Pearl’s road to the evil old hag we meet in "X" is pretty darn tragic.
During World War I, with her husband away fighting, Pearl (Mia Goth) dreams of Hollywood stardom but finds herself confined to a miserable existence on her family’s ranch in Texas. Forced to look after her ailing father, and at odds with her overbearing and devoutly religious mother, Pearl’s life is anything but the glamorous one she desperately yearns for and endlessly fantasizes about.
When local auditions are held for a dance troupe, and a handsome cinema projectionist (David Corenswet) appears on the scene, Pearl believes her shot at the big time is just around the corner. But her deepest desires manifest themselves in murderous ways as Pearl's fragile psyche begins to shatter.
‘Pearl’ combines a harrowing backstory with true horror
The strength of “Pearl” is all in the name, which is to say Mia Goth’s performance as the titular character is the movie’s beating heart. Pearl is a deeply intriguing character, she manages to be both extremely sympathetic but also deeply off-putting, and Goth jumps between these two ends of the scale with ease. In one scene you’ll feel that Pearl is desperately unlucky, the next you’ll swear she’s a psychopathic villain deserving of her misfortunate. “Pearl” is an inherently theatrical movie, and Goth stands at center stage.
West proves himself to be a real cinema-obsessive, not just in the way that “Pearl” explores the intoxicating appeal of the movies — Pearl herself is seriously seduced by the glitz and glam of the big screen icons of the time — but also by his ability to craft a seriously stylish psychological thriller that smartly plays with genre conventions. The ending is my favorite example. No spoilers here, but West takes a big swing, and Goth steps up to bat perfectly.
Of course, viewers who just want an extremely compelling watch are also well-catered to. “Pearl” is a twisting flick, one that only gets dark as the events spiral further out of control, and with each new shockingly violent moment, you’ll find yourself transfixed further. But credit again to West for using violence as a way to heighten the tension, rather than as a cheap crutch. Unfortunately, he didn’t find this balance in the follow-up “MaXXXine.”
“Pearl” is certainly one of the most memorable psychological thrillers of the 2020s so far, and as noted, for me, it’s the clear stand out in the “X” trilogy. Thanks to Mia Goth’s impressively committed performance, West’s intelligent direction and a character-focused narrative that is both tragic and plenty twisted, genre fans are almost guaranteed to be highly satisfied by “Pearl."
The movie was something of a critical darling upon its release in September 2022, and to this day its sterling reputation hasn’t been blunted at all. “Pearl” currently holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. That score comes from 215 total reviews so it’s certainly no small simple size. RT’s ‘Critics Consensus’ reads, “Pearl finds Ti West squeezing fresh gore out of the world he created with X — and once again benefiting from a brilliant Mia Goth performance."
“Pearl” wasn’t just a hit with critics either, audiences also loved this blood-specked horror-thriller. It’s got an 83% viewers score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is particularly strong when you consider its often bleak tone and almost dark climax.
Stream ‘Pearl’ on Netflix while you still can
As a reminder, “Pearl” is set to leave Netflix on Feb. 15, so make sure you’ve streamed it before then, as this is certainly a movie you don’t want to miss. And don’t worry if you haven’t yet seen its predecessor “X.” While “Pearl” is enhanced by having greater context, as a prequel, it’s very accessible to newcomers. Plus, I’ve seen some fans of the “X” trilogy actually make the argument that starting with “Pearl” is preferable to give you backstory first.
As a huge fan of the thriller genre, it takes a lot to impress me these days as I’ve consumed pretty much all the greats by this point, and “Pearl” is most definitely up there as one of the best of recent times. Mia Goth and Ti West proved to be a formidable partnership in “X” but “Pearl” saw them set up their game further delivering a truly X-traordinary psychological thriller.
While “Pearl” is making its curtain call on Netflix this week, the good news is that the streaming service’s library is always churning. Meaning, there are plenty of fresh additions to make up for the old favorites waving goodbye.
Check out our guide to everything added to Netflix in February 2025 for a complete rundown of what's new, and what's actually worth watching.
Stream "Pearl" on Netflix until February 15
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