A Review of Perla - Leeds International Film Festival

While it was showing at LIFF (Leeds International Film Festival), I had the pleasure of watching Perla on the big screen, possibly for its last screening in cinemas in the UK. Alexandra Makarova’s second feature film Perla, is the Jury’s Choice in the Constellation category this year. Perla was certainly a surprise to me as I had heard virtually no buzz for it, neither before or even from other volunteers while I worked the festival. Nonetheless, I was just as won over as the panel, and came out with a new favourite on my hands, totally charmed by the protagonist and gripped by the story which seemed to explore her whole life. 

The film focuses on the eponymous protagonist performed brilliantly by Rebeka Poláková. It focuses in on a moment in which Perla is forced to confront her pull to two different countries, Austria, (capitalistic, supportive of her art, with enough resources and international connection to span her ambition) and Czechoslovakia, (her homeland, still under communist control, which she had to abandon entirely to follow this ambition and which she can only return to at threat of her safety). The film focuses on her visit home to her ex-lover Andrej, the father of her child, before he dies from cancer - and the risks that come with it.

Tension underpins this whole section, Perla is to her core a Western woman: sexually liberated, individualistic, and her bleach blonde hair sticks out like a sore thumb in the mute palate of Czechoslovakia. Hence her comfort in her homeland, her sense of belonging, is almost jarring. She argues with servers, speaks Slovak in public or German with a faulting accent.  The audience's nerves mirror that of her Austrian husband Jacob, and her Westernised daughter Claudia, who has never known Czechoslovakia and seems entirely disengaged from her culture. Yet, Perla toys with her fate, and we wonder if in fact she wants to stay as she extends her trip. 

If you were a fan of Song’s Past Lives, I would recommend Perla, an equal in both its stunning cinematography but also with parallel themes. However, Perla’s exploration of these two identities, these two men, feels sharper and less nostalgic with the ever present threat that one may destroy her. And this dichotomy permeates throughout the cinematography, shot by George Weiss. He perfectly conveys the sparkle of Vienna, its underlying warmth and wealth, and the comfort of Perla’s life there. Compared to the drab austere scenes of Czechoslovakia, as she returns to her home village, this muted palate reaches a new extreme. A cast of fog turns the whole place grey, Perla’s presence seems all the more standout and all personality is lost in the dull colour.

Another standout of the film was the music. It builds on the underlying anxiety as Perla sinks deeper into retracing her past and  plays on the key theme of secrecy that spreads throughout her entire life. Composed by Rusanda Panfili and Johannes Winker, the music integrates unintelligible whispers into the soundtrack, and uses percussion to create a clanging effect; these elements meld to create a sense of internal chaos, tension and confusion. We align with Perla through the music, and her contradictory feelings.

Essentially, if you can find a way to watch Perla, I hear rumours it will be available on MUBI in the next few months, find a way. Maracowá shows great potential here in only her second feature film, creating a level of polish which could only be expected from a highly experienced filmmaker. The themes are clear and powerful, the ending packs a punch, and every performance draws you in. It was an absolute honour to be able to watch this film at LIFF, and I hope you too will love it.

Words by Lauren Winstanley, she/her