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31 for 31 Part 23: X
A24 studio has experienced a heyday in recent years for horror films. The films are usually created by up and coming film makers and casts of lesser-known actors. The films are less about star power and more about making a great movies. While the films tend to be on the gory side, it is not gore for gore’s sake; there is a message that lies beneath the carange.
In 2022’s X we follow a small crew of amateur filmmakers in the 1970s. Their goal is to create an artistic adult film during the day of porn chic. They rent a small farmhouse in Texas where the film will take place. At first, the elderly couple seems normal, if not a bit conservative.
The film's star, Maxine (Mia Goth), soon encounters the elderly Pearl (also played by Goth). When Pearl spies the group filming a sex scene, it unlocks long-suppressed desires; however when her elderly husband is unable to satisfy her, she takes her frustrations out on the cast and crew in a murderous fashion.
X at first seems like just a way to show half naked female actresses and have that as a backdrop for a slasher film. However, there is messages about the taboos of sex in our culture, how aging changes our bodies but not our desires, and how we have double standards sometimes in our relationships.
The film sparked two sequels. The first is a prequel, Pearl, which gives us a backstory on the murderous elderly lady. The third film, Maxxine, follows Goth’s character from the original as she uses the tragedy to continue her pursuit of stardom.