MaXXXine
★ ★ ★
MaXXXine caps off a horror trilogy by director Ti West that works best if you’ve seen the previous films. The trilogy, known as the ‘X series,’ takes place in three different time periods.
‘X’ (2022) takes place in the 1970s when a group of filmmakers attempts to make an adult film on an old farm, eventually leading to the crew’s massacre. Maxine, played by Mia Goth, is the lone survivor and sets off for Hollywood at the film’s end.
‘Pearl’ (2022) is set around that same farmhouse in 1918. This time Goth is the title character, who lives with her mother and invalid father while awaiting her husband’s return from Wordl War I. Pearl feels that she’s destined for stardom and that her controlling mother is holding her back. There’s something very wrong with Pearl. She’s aware of it and, by the end of the film, has become a homicidal maniac.
Maxine confronts an attacker
© 2024 A24
In MaXXXine, we’re taken to 1980s Hollywood where Goth stars again as Maxine Minx, who tries to break away from adult entertainment to mainstream film stardom.
This film starts with a clip of a Maxine as a child rehearsing a dance routine while her father, Pastor Ernest Miller (Simon Prast) films her. He has her repeat the phrase: “I will not accept a life I do not deserve.” This becomes Maxine’s mantra eerily similar to Pearl. Both desperately want stardom.
At this point, Maxine has starred in several adult films and has a chance to break into Hollywood films. She gives an incredible audition, which is an impressive performance by Goth as a character-within-a-character, and lands the role in a horror sequel, ‘The Puritan II.’
In the backdrop of this 80s Hollywood is a serial killer known as ‘The Night Stalker,’ terrorizing Tinseltown. Maxine has attracted his attention, and a series of murders surround and complicate her life. As she tries to navigate the pressures of her ‘big break’ and survive The Night Stalker, she must fight through PTSD from the farmhouse massacre.
Giancarlo Esposito and Mia Goth
© 2024 A24
Also on her heels, and trying his best to wreak havoc in her life, is private detective John Labat (Kevin Bacon). Bacon does a great job of portraying John as a slimy, creepy and scrupulous antagonist. It’s a convincing performance that leaves us clamoring for his demise.
Goth’s performance as Maxine presents a woman who hides her trauma behind stoicism and a tenacious determination to succeed at just about any cost. The moments where her façade fails are expertly presented with real, raw emotion.
Maxine is a complicated character in a moderately simple story, which overall, works well.
Audiences who have not seen ‘X’ or ‘Pearl’ would be best served to hold off on seeing this film as both are integral to understanding Maxine and her motivations. Without that understanding, it would be easy to dismiss Maxine as an unsympathetic character. Knowing where Maxine came from will help you root for her.
Maxine confronts a killer
© 2024 A24
What Ti West has done best in this series is match the look of each film to the style of the periods they’re set in, right down to the film grain. ‘X’ looks like it came right out of the 70s. ‘Pearl’ is shot with vibrant colors as a counter to the dark violence. ‘MaXXXine’ transports you brilliantly into 80s Hollywood.
MaXXXine is a good film. It’s a much better one if you’ve seen the others.
Rated: R (Gore, Drug Use, Strong Violence, Graphic Nudity, Language, Sexual Content)
Running Time: 1h 41m
Directed by: Ti West
Written by: Ti West
Starring: Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Moses Sumney, Kevin Bacon, Giancarlo Esposito
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
