True to her name, Mia Goth has become synonymous with the horror genre. From Luca Guadagnino to Lars von Trier, the actor has worked with the best filmmakers in the genre.
However, her partnership with Ti West has gained her the most attention. The upcoming MaXXXine will be her third film with the director, completing the X trilogy. The horror franchise has demonstrated Goth’s range, from portraying multiple characters who, at their heart, believe that they are stars. And judging from the actor’s previous roles, they aren’t the only ones. Goth has an impressive resume of films that spans the comedic to the audacious.
7. Suspiria
Guadagnino’s remake of the Dario Argento classic was a divisive film but helped Goth’s ascent up the horror hierarchy. Adapted from the 1977 film of the same name, Suspiria charts Susie’s (Dakota Johnson) entrance to a prestigious dance school that’s not quite what it seems. Similar to its predecessor, the film depicts the spooky happenings at the school that ultimately lead to witchcraft.
But it is where the similarities end. The two versions of Suspiria are ultimately about very different things, and how it depicts those things is not always very effective. But Goth fits right at home in the film as Sara, one of Susie’s classmates. The supporting role of Sara is integral to this film, showing exactly how horrific witchcraft can get. If there are weaknesses in the film, it doesn’t come from Goth’s acting ability.
6. A Cure For Wellness
After his success with 2002’s The Ring, Gore Verbinksi returns to the horror genre. Inspired by the book, The Magic Mountain, the film weaves contemporary visuals with gothic sensibilities. After Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) goes looking for his CEO at a wellness spa, he quickly learns that it is not so easy to escape. While trapped, he meets Hannah (Goth), who believes in the lies that the wellness center is spreading.
A Cure For Wellness may not be remembered as fondly as Verbinski’s other horror contribution, but the film is still an ambitious take on a familiar story. Goth exudes naivete and eeriness in the role of Hannah and is a driving force of the film.
5. Nymphomaniac
Actors have to get their big break somehow, and it seems par for the course that Goth would get it on the set of a Lars von Trier movie. The director is controversial for his harrowing subject matter, but the young actor couldn’t have been happier to get the role of, P in her feature film debut. She spoke to Collider’s Ladies’ Night about the experience of working on Nymphomaniac.
“It feels divine almost, if I can say that. It created a blueprint for me in terms of the kind of material that I wanted to work on with the types of directors and that kind of caliber of cast. I was incredibly fortunate to have that as my first project. It really kind of set the field for me in terms of what it is I’m aspiring to do.”
Nymphomaniac was an admirable benchmark for Goth’s future in similar types of films and the movie is largely accepted as a decent entry into the director’s filmography. The young actor enters Part II of the film as a 15-year-old daughter of criminals and naturally enters a world of debauchery. True to her word, this was a platform for Goth, who would go on to find a niche in other films of its kind.
4. Emma.
The 2020 Jane Austen adaptation is a stark departure from Goth’s previous roles but a welcome change of pace. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular matchmaker who finds purpose through making marital matches in recency England. Goth portrays Emma’s friend Harriet, who inadvertently becomes a romantic rival for the affections of Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn).
Emma. is undeservingly not remembered as well as Pride & Prejudice, despite featuring a more compelling central character. Emma has to confront her selfishness and realize that she wasn’t helping Harriet find a husband through any real sense of altruism. The comedy shows that Goth can pursue other types of subject matter, even if horror is where she is comfortable.
3. Infinity Pool
In typical Cronenberg fashion, 2020’s Infinity Pool is a collage of violence, sex, and gratuitousness. Though not as concise a film as Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, it evokes similar feelings of discomfort while telling a compelling story about what the rich do to relax. Couple James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) vacation on a fictional island to help the former ease his writer’s block. But they aren’t far into their trip to Li Tolqa before meeting a hedonistic couple, Gabi (Goth) and Al (Jalil Lespert).
Infinity Pool is a satirical conversation about escalating behavior. James becomes enamored with the couple as they do more daring and frankly criminal activities. The actors take the subject material and run with it, developing truly unhinged performances.
2. X
The film that cinched Goth’s fame as a contemporary scream queen, X is an art project at its best. While ultimately a traditional slasher flick, West’s film is made with love. An homage to the grindhouse films of the ‘70s, X gives off the impression that it is shot on 16 mm to tell the story of a low-budget porn film made in the heart of Texas.
And if you didn’t know it yet, Maxine (Goth) wants to be a star. She doesn’t care if she has to act in porn or commit murder, this is the life she is committed to having. She is so devoted to her dream that when their landlord’s wife starts knocking them off one by one, she is the last person standing. Goth’s charisma and commitment to the material created a legend and led to the best film of her career.
1. Pearl
If you thought X would be Goth’s magnum opus, think again. She and West impressed once again in the 2022 follow-up, Pearl. This time, Goth doesn’t play Maxine but the titular villain of the first film. Shot in technicolor to cement the film in its period, viewers watch to see how Pearl became the person she was always meant to be.
Stifled by a safe marriage and dreams of stardom, Pearl quickly decides that murder is the best way to get what she wants. West takes risks with the filming of the movie, most importantly in the final act. Goth shows how underrated she is as an actor as she performs an entire monologue in one straight shot. Pearl cries and makes us feel for her, regardless of what she has done or where she ends up. Pearl is the best film to watch ahead of the arrival of MaXXXine.
