Is Mitzy telling the truth when she says she got the part in the dance troupe, or is she lying because she's afraid of saying/not saying exactly what Pearl wants to hear?
A retroactive one for X: does Howard ever become aware that his own wife murdered his younger sister?
As has been pointed out on the main page, is Ruth's behavior and attitude towards Pearl because she can see her daughter is a violently unhinged woman and Ruth is basically doing what she can to try and stop her from going out in the world and following up on those violent impulses, or is she just an abusive cold woman who is bitter about how her own life turned out and in turn is trying to shatter any sense of Pearl being her own person for wanting to follow her dreams? For that matter, how much of Pearl's behavior (including her homicidal tendencies) is based on her just being like that, or from years of Ruth's behavior that has caused her to become violent? The movie seems to give leeway to both interpretations, and arguably it is a combination of both, but even that is subjective.
Funny Moments: Pearl yelling "I'M MARRIED!" after masturbating with the scarecrow is pretty damn hilarious.
Genius Bonus: People with knowledge about the history of pornography and/or The Silent Age of Hollywood will recognize the stag film Pearl sees as A Free Ride (video in link definitely NSFW), which is considered the earliest-known hardcore movie produced in the US.
Hollywood Homely: In her final monologue, when listing out the ways in which she feels she's suffered unfairly, Pearl outright says she's not pretty and resents girls who are, which may win some eye-rolls from the audience given she's played by Mia Goth, this time sans age prosthetics. Justified somewhat in that this may be only how Pearl perceives herself, as a result of the dramatic insecurities common to narcissists, the way Ruth has repeatedly cut her down verbally, and the rejection of the judges being specifically based on her looks; even then, the latter isn't because she's 'ugly', just that they wanted an all-American blonde.
Jerkass Woobie: Ruth is a terrible mother whose abuse has at least contributed to some of Pearl's mental issues, but it's clear she's had a hard life as well, breaking under the pressures of caring for a disabled husband, maintaining the family farm, and dealing with a daughter who kills small animals.
The "I'm a star!" scene, for a variety of reasons — Pearl's pronunciation of the line sounds to many like she's saying "EmmaStone!" in an Australian accent, its applicability to funny scenarios (ex: "the Sun when someone says it's a planet", "me when I get rejected in a job interview"), and it inspiring fans to replace the star on their Christmas trees with a photo of Mia Goth.
"pearl is so kind" note A screenshot of a TikTok video of Pearl smiling and telling Mitsy she likes her dress, with this comment under the video, has been imitated widely by people sharing images of other not-so kind fictional characters saying things that seem nice out of context.
Misaimed Fandom: In a similar vein as the protagonists of Gone Girl and Midsommar, some fans of the movie view Pearl as an inspiring feminist Anti-Heroine who learns to fight back and liberate herself from her oppressors rather than an unhinged yet pitifulVillain Protagonist spiraling downward because of her violent acts, especially considering how X shows that the events of this movie not only make no improvement to her life, but arguably led to her becoming the bitter, violent, and isolated hag she is in that film.
Narm: While plenty found the Broken Smile Pearl gives when the credits roll unsettling — from how intense her smile gets, her tears, the Scare Chord getting louder the longer it goes on — others would find the actress trying to hold the smile for three straight minutes and the strain she puts it through in trying to keep it rather comical.
She Really Can Act: While she'd received plenty of acclaim for the first film, Mia Goth's performance here impressed people even further, with some critics even saying she deserved serious award recognition up to and including an Academy Award nod, although the filmmakers ultimately decided not to submit the film for consideration. Even people who didn't like the film praised her performance.
"Please lord, make me the biggest star the world has ever known, so that I'll make it far far away from this place." — The line is Pearl's prayer and has become a popular soundbite online to be used for short form videos.
"I'm a star!" — Pearl's breakdown after she fails the audition.
Pearl crushing a gator egg in the barn with her bare hand, squirting egg yolk and alligator fetus blood all over herself and onto a stack of hay while fantasizing about Howard's body instantly exploding.
Pearl masturbating with a scarecrow while fantasizing about being with the Projectionist.
The close-up shot of the maggot infested rotting pig that Pearl serves for dinner. Alongside preserving her parent's decaying corpses at the table.
Pearl violently stabbing the Projectionist in the chest with a pitchfork when he rejects her. And again, stabbing him through his open mouth with the same pitchfork over and over.
Pearl taking a bath in front of her paralyzed wheelchair-bound father. And forcing him to watch for her amusement.
Poor Pearl's father. He is a paraplegic who is still very aware of his surroundings but is incapable of doing anything. His own daughter tries to feed him to an alligator only to later smother him to death. Ruth admits that she had grown to resent him and begrudgingly does all the tasks he should have. And then she threatens to slit his throat to top it off.
Despite her privileged background, Mitzy was nothing but nice to Pearl and tried to console her when she was rejected for the dance troupe. And what she gets in return is a brutal axe murder.
Poor Howard. Imagine coming home from war only to find the corpses of your wife's parents on the dinner table and finding out she was the one who killed them, and that's on top of having no clue that said wife had brutally murdered your sister shortly beforehand as well. Even worse, the events of X imply that Pearl corrupted him into being a serial killer just like her.
(video in link definitely NSFW), which is considered the earliest-known hardcore movie produced in the US.