“The Pearl Comb” to screen in Cleveland.
“THE PEARL COMB” from writer, director and star Ali Cook is a 20 minute short that has a message about female empowerment (or lack of same). It is set in 1893 Cornwell with beautiful cinematography of the area. The Victorian period sets and costumes, cinematography and music were also excellent. But, best of all, the short packs an unexpected surprise ending—not easy to pull off in twenty minutes.
CAST
“The Pearl Comb” to premiere at Cleveland Film Festival.
The film focuses on a fisherman’s wife, Beatie Lutey (Beatie Edney of “Poldark”). Beatie is being investigated to find out how she was able to cure a young person of tuberculosis. Beatie tells Gregory, the investigator (played by Writer/Director Ali Cook), that the healing gift comes from her husband, Lutey (Simon Armstrong) and his happening upon a mermaid who bestowed upon him the gift of healing in return for his aid.
One line that sums up Beatie’s message to the investigator: ”No one is ready for a female doctor. A woman of learning is far more threatening,” (Sad that this remains true in 2025, just as it was true in 1893.)
Simon Armstrong as Lutey (“Game of Thrones”), Clara Paget as the mermaid (“Black Sails”), Roxana Cook as Edith and Thomas Stocker as Arthur round out the cast.
MAN MEETS MERMAID
Clara Paget as the mermaid. The mermaid (Clara Paget of “Black Sails”) promises Lutey wealth if he will help her return to the ocean. (“Beautiful mortal, help me. Carry me out to sea.”) Lutey sought, instead, the gift of healing to improve his wife’s ailment (prompting the mermaid to say, “You are the first unselfish man that I’ve ever met.”) To prove to Lutey that he is not just imagining their meeting, the mermaid gives him a pearl-encrusted comb.
The film is a blend of the mystical and the modern. The line from Beatie to her husband when he calls her “beautiful” is modern. Beatie responds, “You ain’t called me beautiful in 30 years!” The long-suffering wife at first thinks her husband has been drinking, but she soon learns that his story, while fantastic, is true.
CONCLUSION
The Pearl Comb.”
“The Pearl Comb” is both beautiful and thought-provoking, with a surprise ending that adds to its impact. “The Pearl Comb” was nominated for five awards at the British Short Film Awards 2024, winning two. Writer/Director/Actor Ali Cook’s previous film “The Cunning Man” won 33 awards.
This is another potential award-winner to watch as it screens at the Cleveland International Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying festival. “The Pearl Comb” premieres on April 4th at the Allen Theatre at 9:50 p.m. and subsequently will be available on CIFF Streams from April 6-13th.
