Funviralpark Ti West’s “Pearl” is a prequel about how a grandiose delusion poisons Mia Goth’s famous star in training. She dreams of immortality by defending herself onscreen as a choir girl, but when we think of the ‘X’ we already know that’s not in the cards. It’s about how a nasty farmer abuses his family, commits murder, and does nothing to achieve the life he thinks he deserves. It explores what happens to those who cannot outgrow the privileged — plus food is involved.
Early in “Pearl”, the protagonist’s mother-in-law brings in a roast pig that Pearl’s mother rejected as charity. Every time someone passes by a pig that no longer shines, something new is terribly wrong. It reflects Pearl’s deteriorating mental state to the point where maggots gnaw through the roast, mold grows, and everything becomes nasty. Ends up at a certain Pearl family’s dinner table. Pearls don’t survive, especially the once-delicious pork roast.
