Synopsis
X is based in a rural Texas setting in 1979. It revolves around a group of young filmmakers seeking to break into the burgeoning home video adult film market. Under the leadership of a pragmatic producer named Wayne Gilroy, the group includes an actress named Maxine Minx, her fellow performer Bobby-Lynne, a Vietnam War veteran and actor named Jackson, amateur filmmaker RJ and his conservative girlfriend Lorraine. Unbeknownst to the elderly couple that owns the farmhouse and live a short distance away, the group is set to film an adult movie dubbed “The Farmer’s Daughters.”
The elderly couple, Howard and Pearl, live in a separate house on the same property. Pearl is infatuated with Maxine and becomes a sinister version of what society deems a scorned woman. As Pearl becomes more and more unstable, the youthful filmmakers’ embrace of sexuality and freedom unleashes a wave of violence. What begins as a hidden and audacious film shoot quickly turns into a gruesome bloodbath as group members are brutally slayed.
The movie examines the topics of aging, voyeurism, desire, and repression. X sets out a visual and thematic tension between youth and decay, ambition and resentment by casting Mia Goth as both Pearl, the elderly woman, and Maxine the younger woman.
Cast & Crew
Director and Writer
X is directed and written by Ti West, who is back to his horror roots with a new take on the 70s slasher film. Known for his slow-burn storytelling, West’s films often feature a world steeped in classic horror, and with X, he embeds a deep psychological narrative beneath the surface.
Mia Goth
Mia Goth features in a standout role as Maxine Minx who is a young and ambitious character, and Pearl who is a grotesquely aged woman. The dual roles support the main themes of duality which includes youth and agedness, duality of innocence and corruption, and desire and denial.
Jenna Ortega
As Lorraine, a quiet member of the crew who is initially disapproving, Ortega brings some subtlety to a character who evolves throughout the film. The character’s development, which includes a shift from reluctant and passive compliance to terror, aligns with the film’s descent into horror.
Martin Henderson
Henderson plays Wayne Gilroy, the overslick producer who hopes to change the adult film industry for good. His charm conceals a certain naïveté that blunders and leads to ruin for the whole crew.
Brittany Snow
As Bobby-Lynne, Snow plays an adult performer with a balanced, fun-loving vivacity. However, she also possesses sharp awareness around the perils that may come with such a line of work.
Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi
As a former Marine, Cudi plays Jackson, who is calm and collected and adds a level demeanor to the crew. His parts also delve into elements of male fragility and strength.
Owen Campbell
Campbell portrays R.J. the aspiring filmmaker, who is a member of the group. He is a “rising” auteur and thinks that he is creating something of value, and not just adult film. His idealism is his failure.
Stephen Ure
Ure plays the frail yet menacing Howard, Pearl’s husband. He is willing to aid her in her murderous desires, which adds to the sinister atmosphere of the film.
Visual Style and Cinematic Influences
Ti West purposefully brings to mind the stylistic elements of horror from the 1970s, paying visual and thematic homage to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. From the overlaid grainy texture, wide-angle and tracking shots to the use of abrupt cuts and natural lighting, all add to the film’s harrowing sense of realism. The film’s New Zealand setting stands in for the sun-baked Texan backdrop, which serves as a stifling, enervating space that deepens the film’s dread.
The cinematography not only showcases the beauty of youth as encapsulated in the film’s youthful protagonists but also the starkly aged and decaying beauty in the characters of Pearl and Howard. The characters are literally and metaphorically framed with mirrors, windows, and long shadows to imagery of looking, be it through a camera lens, the eye of a jealous voyeur, or a camera lens capturing a desperate gaze.
Themes and Symbolism
The key theme of the film is the fear of aging and the nostalgia for youth. Pearl epitomizes the sorrow of a once-beautiful and desired woman who is now neglected by the passage of time. Her obsession with Maxine is more than mere jealousy, but a desperate longing for the time when she felt vivacious and visible.
The movie also critiques the moral indignation hypocrisy concerning sex. The young filmmakers are open about their fantasies of being stars. In contrast, Pearl and Howard, cloaked in a puritanical mask, are driven by repressed desires resulting in grotesque violence. The contrast reveals how society demoralizes the freely practiced sexuality and suppresses the longing deeply wished.
Mia Goth deepens the exploration by being dual cast as Pearl and Maxine. Both characters, in different life stages, seek notice and remembrance. Maxine views herself as a worthy successor of greatly desired fame, and Pearl is desperate enough trying to cling to some flicker of enormous significance. The horror stems when the duality turns inward to the self.
Critical Reception and Ratings
Audience and critics aligned in reception. Praise was given for the throwback stylistic elements, subtext, and integral performances, Goth’s transformative dual roles being the standout. Reviewers also focused on the slasher elements interspersed with revelatory and intellectual violence, commending the bold storytelling and themed visions for the genre.
The film was recognized for successfully combining exploitation-film aesthetics with art-house horror sensibilities. It focused on atmosphere, character depth, and slowly building dread, though it did include ample jump scares and gore.
Fans of classic horror films and sophisticated genre cinema were thrilled by X. Still, the film also ignited conversations on ageism, body horror, and the fine line between eroticism and horror.
X achieved a solid IMDb rating in the mid 7s, and viewer satisfaction was high. Reviews highlighted the performances and cinematography, especially Mia Goth. While horror audiences praised the mix of slow burn suspense and shocking violence, the social commentary woven throughout did not go unnoticed.
Expansion of the Franchise and its Legacy
X’s success and the critic’s reception It received kick-started a trilogy. Ti West silently and simultaneously filmed a prequel, Pearl, which he released later that year. Pearl details the life of Pearl, decades before X, and is styled as a technicolor melodrama. It deepened the character study of the antagonist by further humanizing her with Mia Goth reprising her role.
In the concluding film, MaXXXine, we follow the character Maxine as she strives for fame in L.A. during the ‘80s. This trilogy gives West the opportunity to tackle horror in a slasher, psychological, and neo-noir fashion, using the same characters and philosophy on fame, identity, and death in all three movies.
Conclusion
While X is a slasher film, it is also an essay on beauty, aging, and the relentless pursuit of ambition. Employing nuanced direction, strong performances, and deep appreciation for horror as a genre and art form, the film gives its audiences both visceral thrills and emotional depth. Goth’s dual role is a masterclass in Mia Goth and Ti West’s gaze is present in every frame.
While X is a horror film, it contains layers beyond its genre, revealing an exploration of the price one pays for dreams, the relentless march of time, and the insidious darkness lurking in silence. X is bold, brutal, and haunting, securing its position as one of the defining horror films and shaping the horror narrative of the 2020s.
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