MAXXXINE – THE BLOODY HOLLYWOOD DREAM

Bruno Ricardo de Souza Dias
Edited by: Marco Aurélio Lucchetti

It had been a long time since a horror franchise more connected with the public had emerged. cult It didn't attract as much attention as... X – A Mark of Death (X) and its prequel, Pearl (idem).
Both films were directed by Ti West and starred Mia Goth.

Original (American) poster of X – The Mark of Death.

Mini poster of Pearl.

Following the success of these two films, released in 2022, the sequel was released in 2024. X – The Mark of Death:  MaXXXine, directed by Ti West and once again starring Mia Goth, who rose to stardom in the horror film genre precisely because of her participation in this saga.

American filmmaker Ti West, creator of the so-called X Trilogy.

Born in London on October 25, 1993, Mia Goth (Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth) is the big star of... X Trilogy.  

Due to the expectation generated by the announcement of the launch of MaXXXine, This also increased the responsibility of those involved to create something exciting or surprising enough to not only please – but also shock – the fans, who patiently awaited this outcome..
But is that the case? MaXXXine managed to finish well X Trilogy?.
The story of MaXXXine It takes place in 1985, a few years after the events shown in... X – The Mark of Death. And the film's protagonist is the sole survivor of a massacre that occurred on a Texas farm during the filming of a pornographic movie: aspiring actress Maxine Minx, played by Mia Goth..
In her relentless pursuit of stardom, Maxine is now in Hollywood, participating in an audition to choose the actress who will play Veronica, one of the characters in... The Puritan 2, a horror movie.
Desperately wanting to leave the porn industry, Maxine throws herself body and soul into the audition. With that, Elizabeth Bender, the director of... The Puritan e The Puritan 2, sees in the actress the ideal conditions to play Veronica.

In the two photos above, Maxine Minx is participating in the audition for the role of Veronica in... The Puritan 2.

Elizabeth Bender, played by Elizabeth Debicki.

(Open a parenthesis).
Elizabeth Debicki, who played Elizabeth Bender, said the following about her role in MaXXXine:

“I think that, to try to be a director in the 1980s, a woman – and there are a handful of incredible women who directed films back then – would have to fight tooth and nail for every podium and for everything she could, to be able to make decisions. I also think Elizabeth is a product of that. She's a kind of accumulation of resilience that arose from having to fight very hard to be where she is. And I identify with that. For most people, the career of those in the film industry may seem like a linear ascent, but it's not. It's an eternal up and down, full of vulnerability. So, I found my character quite cathartic.”

And about Ti West she stated:

“Ti will probably hate me saying this, but I think there’s a bit of him in Elizabeth. Ti is a very intelligent director. He understands that horror is an excellent Trojan horse for messages and performances, giving people opportunities for truly interesting acting work.”

Close the parenthesis.
Meanwhile, one serial killer A man known as the Night Stalker is systematically killing young actresses in Hollywood. Then, due to the fact that some of the murdered victims are somehow linked to Maxine, two police detectives seek out the actress in order to interrogate her and try to discover who this killer is and the motives behind these satanic-sounding murders.

Detectives Torres and Williams, played by Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan respectively, interrogate Maxine about two alleged victims of the Night Stalker.

Through an intermediary, private detective John Labat, played by Kevin Bacon, the killer contacts Maxine and reveals his knowledge of her dark past. He knows about the massacre that occurred a few years earlier on the Texas ranch, leaving Maxine worried. Despite this, the young actress demonstrates that nothing can stop her in her pursuit of fame.

Private detective John Labat.

There's a whole new atmosphere in MaXXXine. Now, we have an urban aesthetic, contrasting with the rural and bucolic atmosphere of X – The Mark of Death e Pearl. The art director and the composer responsible for the film's soundtrack did an extremely competent job, which mesmerizes our eyes and ears, leading us to new and interesting sensations.

In the photos above, two scenes of MaXXXine with the scenario The streets of Los Angeles at night.
NThe first photo shows Maxine and her coworker Tabby Martin.
NThe second photo shows Maxine inside her car with a personalized license plate.

We quickly realize that Maxine differs from Pearl. She doesn't necessarily possess an intrinsic psychopathy ready to surface. She does, however, have a heavy past that influences her actions, which are a kind of defense mechanism. On the other hand, at certain moments, Maxine's attitudes and reactions sound like a feminist cry. However, it's a feminist cry of strange overcoming..
This feminist perspective is evident, for example, in the criticisms regarding the fanatical religious pressure exerted by Maxine's father, Ernest Miller..
Ernest, who is a pastor, imposed a fundamentalist and oppressive type of upbringing on his daughter..
Watching the film, we conclude that it was this type of upbringing that led Maxine to run away from her father and to his obsession with fame at any cost.

Something Maxine won't give up on: the pursuit of fame.
DSince she was a child, one of the phrases she repeats most often is: “"I will not accept a life I don't deserve."”

Another evident and pertinent criticism concerns the Hollywood dream world, which is shown to be absolutely bloody at its core and totally false, plastic, when observed in its most perverse nuances..
On the whole, MaXXXine It's a good horror movie full of references to the two previous films of the series. X Trilogy ...and to the history of cinema itself. For a more attentive cinephile, some scenes in the film inevitably bring a smile to our faces, recognizing references to classics of the Seventh Art, such as... Psychosis (Psycho, 1960) and Chinatown (idem, 1974). However, these scenes contribute little to the development of the story narrated in MaXXXine.

Director Ti West, with the iconic Mom's House in the background.
É at Mom's House, the scene of one of the most famous murders shown in the film. Psychosis, Maxine seeks refuge there while being pursued by John Labat.

One negative detail: the supporting characters. In general, they lack better development, as is the case with John Labat (he does have some good moments) or the characters played by Giancarlo Esposito, Halsey, and Lily Collins, who, unfortunately, are underutilized.

Giancarlo Esposito and Mia Goth, in a scene from MaXXXine.

The fact that it has far fewer scenes of major impact than X – The Mark of Death e Pearl This is another disappointing point in MaXXXIne. There are, of course, one or two heavier scenes that might make us look away. However, in general, few moments will remain etched in our memory..
Mia Goth, who in Pearl This time, she drew a lot of attention, and although she delivers a good performance, she appears more restrained, due to the personality of her character.

Maxine Minx is one of Mia Goth's best roles in film.
PIn turn, Mia Goth's performance is one of the highlights of MaXXXine.

But, without a doubt, the main mistake made by Ti West in MaXXXIne The problem was not knowing how to end the film. The movie leaves much to be desired, especially in its final fifteen minutes when we discover the secrets behind Maxine Minx, or rather, Maxine Miller. It's one disappointment after another. And, at the end of the film, we, the viewers, are left with an undeniable feeling of overall frustration..
Without a doubt, MaXXXIne falls short of X – The Mark of Death e Pearl. However, due to the charm of the franchise and the good moments up to its weak final stretch, the film is actually satisfactory, leaving us with a bitter taste and an ambiguous feeling. To explain further: we can consider MaXXXine like a good movie. But, due to the generated expectation and the two previous films of X Trilogy, We expected much more from this outcome.

Original (American) poster of MaXXXine.

MaXXXine (idem, United States, 2024, 104')
Direction: Ti West
Road map: Ti West
Photography: Eliot Rockett
Assembly: Ti West
Music: Tyler Bates
Cast: Mia Goth (Maxine Minx/Maxine Miller), Elizabeth Debicki (Elizabeth Bender), Moses Sumney (Leon Green), Michelle Monaghan (Detective Williams), Bobby Cannavale (Detective Torres), Lily Collins (Molly Bennett), Giancarlo Esposito (Teddy Knight), Kevin Bacon (John Labat), Simon Prast (Ernest Miller, a television pastor), Halsey (Tabby Martin), Chloe Farnworth (Amber James), Sophie Thatcher (visual effects artist), Deborah Geffner (director of casting), Larry Fessenden (security guard), Charley Rowan McCain (Maxine Miller, as a child)

Mia Goth, in a promotional photo taken in Los Angeles on June 24, 2024, during the world premiere of MaXXXine.

Bruno Ricardo de Souza Dias has a degree in History and is a great connoisseur of films.