Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
A quiet encyclopedia with a personal desk
Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Screen & Stage • Film

Pearl

Pearl is a 2022 American horror film directed, produced, and edited by Ti West.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

Pearl (2022) is a horror prequel to X, directed by Ti West and starring Mia Goth as the young Pearl on a Texas farm in 1918.

Plot

The film follows Pearl, a young woman isolated on her family’s farm in 1918 Texas, as she dreams of escaping her life and becoming a star. Her ambitions, frustration, and violent impulses drive the story.

Production and release

Pearl was directed, produced, and edited by Ti West, with West and Mia Goth credited as screenwriters. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2022, and opened theatrically in the United States through A24 on September 16, 2022.

Place in the X film series

Pearl is a prequel to X (2022) and expands the backstory of the character Pearl. It is the second installment in Ti West’s X film series, following the original X released earlier the same year.

In short

  • Second installment in the X film series (prequel to X).
  • Set on a Texas farm in 1918.
  • Mia Goth co-wrote the screenplay and stars as Pearl.
  • Premiered at Venice Film Festival in September 2022.
Canadian angle

The film was part of the wider North American theatrical release circuit and is of interest to Canadian film audiences as an internationally released A24 horror title.

Quick questions

What is Pearl?
Pearl is a 2022 American horror film and prequel to X, focusing on the origin story of the character Pearl.
Who directed Pearl?
Pearl was directed, produced, and edited by Ti West.
When was Pearl released?
It premiered on September 3, 2022, at the Venice International Film Festival and was released in U.S. theatres on September 16, 2022.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_(2022_film)
    Supports: Director, release year, setting, cast, relation to X, Venice premiere, and U.S. theatrical release.
  2. Rotten Tomatoes — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pearl_2022
    Supports: Genre, director, release date, runtime, rating, and box office.
  3. RogerEbert.com — https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pearl-movie-review-2022
    Supports: Plot context and character motivation.
  4. Common Sense Media — https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/pearl
    Supports: Prequel status, setting, cast, and runtime.