Katie Walsh | Tribune News Service (TNS)
While actress Mia Goth has become a full-blown star in Ti West’s “X” trilogy, in which she stars as both Maxine in “X” and “MaXXXine,” and Pearl in “X” and “Pearl,” the fascinating British actress has delivered memorable turns in other films since she was a teenager.
If you plan to catch up with “X” (2022) and “Pearl” (2022) before the release of “MaXXXine,” check out the ‘70s slasher “X,” inspired by “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” on Netflix or for rent on other digital platforms, while “Pearl,” a prequel inspired by Technicolor musicals, is on Prime Video or for rent on other platforms. In both films, Goth delivers a bravura performance of two different women who are hellbent on stardom.
But take a spin through the rest of her filmography to find more gems, from her work with international art-house legends, to more offbeat genre fare, and even a Jane Austen rom-com.
Goth made her movie breakthrough in Lars Von Trier’s controversial two-part film “Nymphomaniac” (2013), in a section in “Vol. II” titled “The Gun,” opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe. The film is the third installment in Von Trier’s Depression Trilogy, following “Antichrist” and “Melancholia.” Rent “Nymphomaniac: Vol. II” on iTunes.
She also appeared in Gore Verbinski’s fascinating German spa horror thriller “A Cure for Wellness” (2016), opposite Dane De Haan. This stylish, moody and evocative film didn’t quite hit when it came out, so give a chance if you’re looking for something in the horror genre that’s a bit off the beaten path. Rent “A Cure for Wellness” on all digital platforms.
Goth also popped up in Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 “remake” of “Suspiria” with Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton playing multiple roles — perhaps she was inspired by Swinton’s turn to take on the role of Maxine and older Pearl in “X”? Guadagnino takes the classic Dario Argento giallo film about a German ballet school run by a coven of witches and gives it a political Cold War-era twist, and his own take on dance-based body horror. Goth plays one of the dance students whom Johnson encounters when she arrives at the school from America. Stream “Suspiria” on Prime Video or rent it on Amazon or iTunes.
For something a bit lighter, Goth co-starred opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in Autumn de Wilde’s gorgeous and whimsical Jane Austen adaptation “Emma.” (2020). Taylor-Joy stars as Miss Emma Woodhouse, a high-society matchmaker and fixer-upper who finds surprising love with the boy next door. Goth plays Harriet, the young local girl whom Emma takes on as a project, hoping to find her a suitable match. With sumptuous costumes and a fantastic cast, “Emma.” Is utterly delightful and humorous. Stream it on Freevee or rent it on Amazon or iTunes.
Finally, Goth stole the show in Brandon Cronenberg’s audacious “Infinity Pool,” a speculative thriller about an unsuccessful writer (Alexander Skarsgård) who finds himself in legal trouble abroad, and faces a curious kind of justice. Goth plays a mercurial fan-turned-tormentor of the writer, who pulls him into her web of madness. An excoriating indictment of upper-class hedonism, “Infinity Pool” is a tricky, obsessive little number and Goth’s operatic performance is spellbinding, reaching registers she doesn’t even achieve as a scream queen in the “X” trilogy. Stream “Infinity Pool” on Hulu or rent it on Amazon or iTunes.
(Katie Walsh is the Tribune News Service film critic and co-host of the “Miami Nice” podcast.)
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