Film Review: PEARL: Fascinating Drama Universal in its Emotions and Tensions [Tribeca 2019]

Pearl Review

Pearl (2018) Film Review from the 18th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Elsa Amiel, starring Julia Föry, Peter Mullan, Vidal Arzoni, Arieh Worthalter, and Agata Buzek.

For a movie set in a world that is utterly niche, Pearl manages to tell a story that is universal in its emotions and tensions. The film takes place at a French bodybuilding competition, where Lea Pearl (Julia Föry) will compete for the title of Miss Heaven. While at the competition with her coach Al (Peter Mullan), Lea is visited by her ex, Ben (Arieh Worthalter) and their son Joseph (Vidal Arzoni), with whom Lea has no contact. Ben leaves Joseph with Lea for several hours, forcing her to come to terms with both the idea and the reality of her child at a time when she can’t deal with the task emotionally but also when she cannot escape from it.

Why tell a story about the collision of past and present at a body building competition? The film doesn’t explicitly say, but it does gesture to the idea that body building is a form of transformation, a practice that takes total dedication, constant work, and a balance of pride and humility… much like raising a child. Pearl stays largely impersonal in its treatment of the other body builders, with the exception of one friend, Serena (Agata Buzek) whose fear of aging is laid bare without judgment and yet as a clear example of the emotional toll of placing one’s entire worth on one’s physical body. Serena, though not a mother herself, is one of the people who interacts best with six-year-old Joseph. Pearl does much more showing than telling in terms of the ideas and values it espouses, but it seems that Serena’s character serves as an example that loving a child is perhaps even more natural than the desire to maintain a high-functioning body.

The body building competition also offers a view of a world in which everyone strives for control over their bodies and for the talents necessary to appropriately display their bodies before the judges. Determination and vulnerability appear in equal measure on the body builders’ highly controlled and physically perfected faces, both before and during the competition. This desire for self-control juxtaposes Joseph, who exhibits typical six-year-old lack of control: he yells and screams (for good reason), says what he really thinks, and shows a willingness to change his mind about people that feels so out of place in an environment entirely constructed on the judging of perfected samples of the human specimen. Joseph is a shock to the system for everyone he encounters in this strange world, causing a disturbance and unveiling each character’s true character by way of their response to an unexpected hiccup at this long-prepared-for event.

In addition to the array of emotions and relationships available for consideration, Pearl offers a feast of rich images. The film has a fascinating visual texture; there is almost always something on screen that is visually stimulating, whether it’s the glitter of the body builders’ outfits or the practically unimaginable array of muscles on display. The cinematographic style utilizes the close-up, particularly on Lea’s face, to fascinating effect, as the viewer attempts to decipher what emotions that face masks. Amazing performances by all actors contribute to the fascination of viewing them in close-up throughout the story.

Whether you’re interested in the body building world, the capacity that humans have for transformation, a mother’s instinctual bond (or lack thereof) with her child, or just a stunning set of creative and technical performances, Pearl is sure to please.

Rating: 9/10