Pearl (2022) - The Red Dress Reframed

The red dress has been a symbol in cinema since colour film was introduced. Think Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel in matching, dazzling red dresses in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Nicole Kidman in her sensuous satin red gown in Moulin Rouge, Julia Robert’s beloved red dress in Pretty Woman, or even Jessica Rabbit’s sparkling attire; the list goes on and on. These red dresses all have one thing in common, they represent a certain type of woman in film or signify a shift in a storyline or in a character's narrative. Often the red dress represents the sexuality of a woman, charging her with power and confidence, the wearer is ambitious and knows what she wants, if not always femme-fatale, but certainly femme-audacious in her show-stealing red dress. As bell hooks said, “She knows that red is the colour of passion, that a woman in a red dress is sultry, sensuous, that a woman wearing a red dress had better look out.” These acclaimed female characters in red dresses are unforgettable and are continuously celebrated and adored.

But how does the narrative change when the red dress isn’t a scarlet red, form-fitting, plunging gown with a leg slit, paired with a luxurious pair of stilettos and a perfect red lip? And when the wearer of the red dress doesn’t have all eyes on her but so desperately wishes she did? How do these culturally saturated symbols shift when it is Pearl wearing the red dress?

Pearl is A24’s latest and now most beloved killer queen. The film, starring Mia Goth and directed by Ti West, is already somewhat of a cult classic despite its recent release in September and its UK release in March, with fans obsessing over Goth’s character and her striking red prairie dress. 

  

Pearl is the prequel to X (2022), set in 1918, revealing the much anticipated back story of the elderly psychotic farm owner in her younger years and what led her to the events of X. Pearl is a sweet delusional young woman with dreams of being a movie star, escaping the restraints of her pious and neurotic mother and also her sickly, dying father. Pearl is stuck in a never-ending cycle of misery and hardship while her husband, Howard is away at war. Pearl appears sweet, rosy and hopeful but we see a sinister glint in her eye and her desperate longing for another life away from the farm with her parents, a life where she is dancing on screen. Her only audience in her isolated and repetitive life is the barn animals watching her dance around in the hay with her blue overalls on and a pitchfork in her hand. Pearl will do just about anything to get what she wants but her desperate attempts to leave her unfulfilled life don’t quite go as she had hoped.

Pearl’s red dress is clearly old and worn; it almost appears to be a patchwork of many different shades of red so the colour is inconsistent, giving the impression that the dress has aged and the colour has faded over time. The frills and lace that embellish the bodice of the dress are doll-like in appearance, as is the large bow tied at the back. The sweet and sinister divergence of Pearl’s character is echoed in the contrast between her precious, folksily detailed dress and its overpowering blood-red colour. Pearl styles the dress with a darling blue bow in her hair and red lipstick to adorn her dazzling and deranged smile. The red dress assumes a character of its own, taking centre stage. The technicolour style of the film is what gives the dress its distinction and character, much like Dorothy’s ruby glass slippers in The Wizard of Oz; a clear inspiration for costume designer, Malgosia Turzanska. Pearl’s red dress reflects a significant shift in the original portrait of Pearl in her farm workwear. The confidence, passion and ambition we associate with red dresses in cinema are initially presented with the reveal of Pearl’s dress near the end of the film, we see both the representation of her short-lived rise and her unfortunate and rapid fall in the red dress.

Pearl's character and her red prairie dress stand in stark contrast to the iconic characters known for their red dresses, such as Satine from Moulin Rouge and Vivian from Pretty Woman. Their dresses are expensive, glamorous, yet formal; tailored perfectly to accentuate their bodies, flowing elegantly to the floor in luscious fabrics. Both Satine and Vivian’s red dresses mark significant points in their stories, the red of their gowns exudes romance and passion and ensures these moments are unforgettable to the audience. Pearl’s red dress, on the other hand, is dowdy and faded, falling imperfectly to her ankles, looking more pretty and girlish rather than sexy and mature; a contradiction of what the viewer expects of a red dress. The red prairie dress accompanies endless scenes of delusion, destruction and psychosis. These are not sweet, heartfelt or romantic scenes: they are bloody and gory. The dress denotes Pearl’s dreams unravelling around her. Pearl’s red dress marks the embrace of her sinister self, establishing her as a horror heroine heavyweight.

The symbolism, iconography and narrative that the red dress represents in cinema are entirely reframed in Pearl. This is the dress worn by a psychotic and deranged serial killer, attiring a girl who is entirely isolated and has lost every opportunity she had, and never quite gets over it. The red dress in Pearl represents pain, blood and anger, illustrating passion in a way that we haven't seen displayed by a red dress before in cinema. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

Love, Bella <3