All The "X" And "Pearl" Movie Details And Similarities You Never Noticed

    That alligator has been swimming around for 60 years.

    Darren Leis
    by Darren Leis

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    In 2022, A24 released two companion horror films by writer/director Ti West: X and the prequel, Pearl.

    Everett Collection

    Both films star Mia Goth in various roles. In some cases, playing multiple characters at the same time while wearing prosthetic makeup.

    Three images of Mia Goth; one as young Maxine, one as old Pearl, one as young Pearl.
    A24

    The films are very different from each other in look and tone, but there are many links between the two films, though they take place 60 years apart.

    One 4:3 image of Maxine in the barn, the other of Pearl in the barn.
    A24

    Let's take a look at X and Pearl to see all the callbacks, similarities, and Easter eggs.

    Wayne looks through holes in the barn wall.  Pearl looks through the movie projector hole in the wall.
    A24

    Obviously, spoilers ahead.

    Maxine holds her finger to her mouth motioning a "Shhh."  Young Pearl does the same in another image.
    A24

    1. Both films start off with the same shot.

    One Image of the barn through semi closed doors.  The other is the barn in a wide brightly lit image.
    A24

    Both films begin with a shot of the country house where much of the action will take place. X frames the shot through the barn doors to emulate the aspect ratio of the 16mm film that much of the movie's porno film will be shown in. While Pearl starts off inside the same barn, the doors open all the way to reveal the wide Cinemascope-style frame.

    2. Both lead characters — Pearl and Maxine — dream of being famous.

    Maxine looks longingly.  Pearl looks longingly.
    A24

    Shortly after X's Maxine is introduced, she proclaims: "I need to be famous, Wayne. All the best people are."

    Early in Pearl's story, Pearl prays to become a successful dancer: "Please, Lord, make me the biggest star the world has ever known."

    3. Each film features visual motifs from their respective time period.

    A blond holds a clapboard in a grainy 16mm film image.  Pearl in a red dress dances with military men in a wide Technicolor image.
    A24

    As much as writer/director, Ti West, is interested in horrifying us, he is also very invested in delivering a specific visual style that represents each film's respective time period.

    Since X takes place in the 1970s, the look has a high contrast, as if shot on film stock. The cutaways to the porn that is being made throughout the movie are all shown in a 4:3 aspect ratio and are as grainy as 16mm film, just as it would have looked in its day. There are moments featuring split screens and rapid cross-cuts between scenes that are an ode to films like Easy Rider.

    1900s films are a direct inspiration for Pearl. The saturated Technicolor look conjures the feeling of The Wizard of Oz, and the widescreen 2.35:1 image a la Cinemascope (even though it had not been invented until long after 1918) gives the film the grandiose feel of epics long since passed. Not to mention the old-school musical score is reminiscent of Douglas Sirk melodramas and Hitchcock thrillers.

    4. People are always looking for "The X Factor."

    Wayne and Bobby-Lynne watch the shot.  A table of stern people look on.
    A24

    In X, producer Wayne assures Maxine that she has "The X Factor," making her a sure thing in the porn trade.

    In Pearl, the judges of the dance contest do not see "The X Factor" in Pearl's performance, forcing her life to spin further out of control.

    5. Pearl literally stands on an "X."

    Pearl in a red dress stands on a white "X".
    A24

    In a not-so-veiled homage to its predecessor film, Pearl literally takes her place on the stage by stepping on a white "X" taped to the dance floor.

    6. The male costars introduce our heroines to the world of pornography.

    Close up shot of Wayne looks through holes in the barn wall. Close up shot as Pearl looks through the movie projector hole in the wall.
    A24

    In X, Maxine's boyfriend Wayne (Martin Henderson) acts more or less as Maxine's manager; creating the backdrop for her to become an adult film star. While Pearl's projectionist friend-come-lover (David Corenswet) shows her an early illegal pornographic film smuggled in from overseas.

    Obviously, neither Maxine nor Pearl are prudes, but it can be argued that neither would have entered into the "adult film" world without the help of the men in their lives.

    7. There are some strange sex scenes.

    Old Pearl lays down in bed with a sleeping Maxine.  Young Pearl looks up at a scarecrow in a field.
    A24

    X features a naked, old Pearl curling up in bed alongside the young Maxine. To make things weirder, both roles are played simultaneously by Mia Goth. Later, old Pearl has sex with her husband Harold on the same bed with Maxine trapped underneath, forcing her to hear the entire act.

    If that didn't make you squirm, then maybe the dance/sex scene that young Pearl has with a too-human-looking scarecrow will do it for you. It is suggested that young Pearl experiences her first orgasm while riding the inanimate stuffed figure in a corn field... As one does.

    8. The alligator lives a long time.

    A high shot of someone swimming in a lake, an alligator close behind.  Another shot of an alligator approaching a man in a wheelchair.
    A24

    It is said that alligators can live to be as old as humans; in some cases living up to 100 years. So it seems plausible that the same gator young Pearl feeds in 1918 could still be alive alongside old Pearl in 1979.

    With countless barnyard animals and human sacrifices through the years, this swamp gator surely had enough meals to sustain itself for decades.

    9. The pitchfork is Pearl's weapon of choice.

    A silhouette holding a pitchfork.  A wide shot of pearl stabbing someone on the ground in the face with a pitchfork.
    A24

    In both films, there are deaths by knife, axe, fire, and even alligator. But the pitchfork seems to be Pearl's weapon of choice.

    10. Howard has been around since the beginning.

    An old and angry Howard. A young Howard returns home in his WWI uniform.
    A24

    Even though Howard is absent for most of the events of the prequel, he looms large over young Pearl’s life as she longs for him to return home. Once he finally arrives, he is greeted with a horror show that most people would run from.

    But as X shows, Howard not only stayed, but stood by Pearl’s side for 60 years, helping cover up all her evil deeds and even taking part in some of the mayhem himself. They were clearly made for each other.  

    11. Hiding cars in the swamp is commonplace for Pearl and Howard.

    Jackson finds a VW Beetle in the swamp. An old car enters the swamp, a dead body inside and blood on the windshield.
    A24

    After Pearl kills her projectionist friend, she loads him into his car and pushes it into the swamp ala Norman Bates in Psycho.

    Similarly in X, a different car is found in the swamp by Jackson (Kid Cudi), proving that Pearl and Howard have had to cover their tracks more than once in the past 60 years.  

    12. Both lead characters have domineering parents.

    A black and white TV image of an old man talking into a microphone.  An image of an angry middle aged lady.
    A24

    Both protagonists have controlling parents that they have escaped from in order to live their respective lives.

    Maxine's father is revealed at the end of X to be an evangelist who wants to save his daughter from her wicked ways.

    Similarly, Pearl's pious mother will not indulge her silly dreams of becoming a dancer or even leaving the responsibilities of life on the farm.

    In their own ways, each of our heroines have to climb out of from under their respective parents' iron fists.

    13. The Farmer's Daughters

    Maxine looks at a script.  Young Pearl is in the bathtub with her father nearby in a wheelchair.
    A24

    The name of the porn script they are shooting in X is called The Farmer's Daughters. 

    In the events of 1918, that is exactly what Pearl is...until she kills her parents, of course.

    14. Dancing is a key component to understanding Pearl.

    A black and white photo of young Pearl dancing.  A black and white film image of Pearl dancing.
    A24

    In X, old Pearl reminisces about how she used to be a dancer.  

    Pearl showcases her passion for dance and how it actually helps lead to her downfall.

    15. Pearl's hair brush lasts for decades.

    Close up of an ornate silver hairbrush.  The same hairbrush being used on the hair of a burn victim.
    A24

    Pearl can be seen brushing her mother's burnt hair in 1918 with the same ornate hairbrush she uses on herself in 1979. Why throw out a classic?

    16. "I will not accept a life I do not deserve."

    Maxine holds out a gun, nearby a black and white TV shows an old man with a microphone.  An image of a pristine movie theater and marquee from 1918.
    A24

    Maxine says several times throughout X, as a mantra: "I will not accept a life I do not deserve." It is revealed that this is something that she assimilated from her zealot father, as he spouts the same words on his TV program.

    When young Pearl visits the town cinema in 1918, a man wearing a sandwich board reading, "I will not accept a life I do not deserve," can be seen wandering in the street. 

    And finally, the biggest thing that both films have in common...

    Maxine's head as she floats in the water.
    A24

    17. ...Mia Goth is incredible in both films!

    A24 / Via giphy.com

    Whether she is playing Young Pearl, Old Pearl, Maxine, or anything in between, 2022 has proven to be Mia Goth's year to shine. Even if you are not a horror fan, you can't deny the pure talent she emits from the screen. She is a must-watch for any lover of cinema.

    I'm sure there are some details I've missed. All you eagle-eyed viewers out there, let me know in the comments below.

    Pearl smiles largely at the camera.
    A24

    Pearl is out now in theaters. Buy tickets at Cinemark or Fandango.

    Pearl crying
    A24/Courtesy Everett Collection

    And X is available with video on demand.

    The cast of X walks through a field
    A24/Courtesy Everett Collection

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