X explained (2022)

What is X about?

The main thing to understand about X is that it’s a metafilm. What does that mean? It means that the movie is essentially a commentary on movies and watching movies. The motif of filmmaking creates some interesting layers of perspective: who is watching who? And what do each of us see when we’re watching?

X uses that format to extract several themes. Perhaps the most prominent is the film’s commentary on America, which was at a crossroads in the 1970s when individualism started to trump collectivism and nationalism. The other important theme is the importance of finding yourself in such a changing landscape. Maxine becomes the centerpiece for both of these explorations. She desperately wants to live her life to the fullest while she’s young. But her lookalike elder doppelgänger, Pearl, is a looming demon of what she (and the rest of Maxine’s generation) could become.

Cast

• Mia Goth – Maxine “Max” Minx / Pearl
• Jenna Ortega – Lorraine “Raine” Day
• Brittany Snow – Bobby-Lynne Parker
• Scott Mescudi – Jackson Hole
• Martin Henderson – Wayne Gilroy
• Owen Campbell – R.J. Nichols
• Stephen Ure – Howard
• Ti West – Director and writer

The ending of X explained

A recap of X‘s ending

A series of events at the end of X are all crucial to understanding the intent of the film. While Howard has heart attack and Maxine battles with Pearl, a preacher appears on the television screen and gives a speech:

Here we all are together. We’ve reached a crossroads of salvation or damnation. The time is now. For if we do not take control of our fate, the Lord shall do it for us. It’s time to turn our backs on sin and make the commitment once and for all. I will not accept a life I do not deserve.

While the preacher talks, Maxine and Pearl have a conversation. Pearl shames Maxine for having sex in the barn and says, “You’ll end up just like me.” To which Maxine responds, “I’m nothing like you. You’re a kidnapping, murdering sex fiend. I’m a fucking star! The whole world is gonna know my name!” Then Maxine says in unison with the preacher on TV, “I will not accept a life I do not deserve!”

After Maxine’s gun fails to fire, Pearl picks up her shotgun and shoots. But she misses, and the force of the shotgun sends her flying backwards. That’s when the preacher exclaims, “Now that’s what I call divine intervention! The Lord smiles on those who accept him! Praise his name! Glory be to Jesus! Praise the Lord!”

As Maxine walks to the truck to drive away, an injured Pearl yells, “You’re not innocent! You’re not special! It’ll all be taken from you! Just like it was taken from me! I’ll tell everyone who you are!” Maxine then backs up and squashes Pearl’s head and says, “It’ll be our secret.”

As Maxine drives away, a Jesus figurine hangs in the truck’s rearview mirror. She says to herself, “Divine intervention.” She then snorts a line of coke and says, “Praise the fuckin’ Lord,” before driving off into the sunrise.

We then cut to a succeeding morning as the police investigates the murders that took place on the farm. The preacher, who is now revealed to be Maxine’s father, speaks on the television once again. This time he says:

“I hope that through my own admission others may find the light. I want to show y’all something. Get a shot of this. (Shows picture of Maxine) There she is! My beautiful little daughter Maxine. Lured into a life of sin by the very deviants we warn of here on a daily basis. From our lovin’ home into the hands of devils. We pray, one day, she’ll find her way home to us.”

To end the movie, one of the cops brings out a camera that contains the adult film they were secretly shooting. And after asking the sheriff what he thinks is on the film, the sheriff (James Gaylyn) responds, “I’d say one goddamned fucked up horror picture.”

The meaning of X‘s ending

The ending of X speaks to two important aspects of the film: Maxine’s self-affirming victory as a character and director Ti West’s ode to the artistry of filmmaking.

Maxine’s victory at the end of X is representative of something much larger than herself. She is part of a larger theme focused on division in the United States. Back in the 1970s, adult films were rising in popularity, which led many to believe the country’s values were declining. The preacher speaks to this fear shared by much of America. It just so happens he’s speaking specifically about his own daughter, Maxine.

To broaden Maxine’s situation to the rest of America during that time, a whole generation of youngsters was being shamed for its progressive-minded values. Sexual liberty and a vitalized drug culture—both prominent components of Maxine’s life—were decried by people like Maxine’s father, Howard, and Pearl. That’s why we hear Pearl trying to shame Maxine for making the adult film on their farm.

But Maxine’s determination to remain true to herself and her calling represents her victory in the end. She repeats the words of her father at the end, referring to her own self-manifested accomplishments as “divine intervention.” She rejects Pearl as her inevitable future, choosing to design her own path in life and refusing to be held back by the conservative community.

This neatly folds into West’s admiration of film. As we’ll discuss in the themes section, X is very much a metafilm—meaning the movie is about the art of making movies. And as we will also discuss in the title section, the movie itself gets its title from X-rated pornographic films. Altogether, West is making a statement about pornographic films’ ability to become “true art;” to exemplify positive, life-affirming values that can push society in a better direction.

So at the end when the sheriff refers to Maxine’s movies as “one goddamned fucked up horror picture,” he’s speaking to the ongoing tension that permeates the division in America to this very day. A whole portion of the United States views Maxine’s lifestyle—views progressivism in general—as a detriment to the country’s moral fortitude. But as a metaflim, the sheriff’s statement also becomes a commentary about the very movie we’re watching. It isn’t just that Maxine’s movie is a fucked up horror picture—this entire situation is the fucked up picture; this never-ending struggle that plagues this country is the true horror movie.

The themes and meaning of X

How X works as a metafilm

There’s a really cool motif that Ti West sets up in the opening shot of X. I didn’t catch this until my second watch of the film—which isn’t surprising, because it’s a very modest, seemingly weightless moment that quietly foreshadows the film’s aesthetic and thematic focus. So after watching the film for a second time, it really stuck out to me. And the more and more I thought about it, the more I realized it set up several of the key themes and motifs of the film.

So, let’s dig into this opening shot and what it tells us about X. Once you realize how this aesthetic runs throughout the film, it’ll allow you to understand the movie in a new light.

As you can see here, X opens on a house in a rural field. The key thing to notice here is that we are looking at the house from inside the barn.

Now, again, that might not seem like that big of a deal. The barn becomes an important setting later in the film; this shot sets up that the movie takes place on a farm; it’s a cool way to dress up the frame a bit. No big deal, right?

But here’s a key element to notice: Because of those barn doors, the sides of the frame are shrouded in darkness. If we’re just looking at the focus of the shot, which would be the old house and the sprawling fields and the bright blue sky, then about one-third of the shot is missing. 

This just happens to be about the size of the Academy standard film aspect ratio: 1.37:1. This was the ratio used by Hollywood for many, many years, including many of the early classics of American cinema. For instance…Citizen Kane.

The awesome thing about this opening shot in X is that this 1.37:1 frame suddenly becomes a 1.90:1 frame—aka the SMPTE/DCI digital cinema basic resolution container aspect ratio—as West slowly moves the camera towards the house. The 1.90:1 aspect ratio is notably much more akin to how the human eye perceives the world.

That’s totally a tiny moment you could miss—and heck, it may not even mean anything. But let’s remember that throughout the film, we transition from between those exact dimensions quite a few times. So what are the implications of this?

A Short History of Aspect Ratios

Well first, let’s consider the history of those two aspect ratios. Older movies would often use the 1.37:1 aspect ratio—especially adult and slasher films from the 1970s (the two genres used for X). Famous movies that used this aspect ratio were King Kong, The Shining, Bambi, Pinocchio, etc. 

These days? The 1.37:1 aspect ratio is a pretty uncommon tool for filmmakers and sticks out like a sore thumb when utilized. The 1.90:1 aspect ratio is a much more modern choice and is used by movies like 1917, Dunkirk, and pretty much all of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, there are all kinds of aspect ratios, as you can see in the image below. The smaller the frame, the more common it was years ago. These days, movies are quite a bit wider than they used to be, and much more representative of how the human eye perceives the world.

The film’s most important visual motif

What are the implications of this opening shot in X? Well, just as a jumping off point, this opening shot sets up filmmaking as an important motif. Maxine and the gang have traveled to this farmhouse to film an adult movie, so this visual choice at the beginning foreshadows how West will later transition between the filmic shots and real life shots.

Take this moment, for instance, when West goes back and forth between Maxine having lemonade with Pearl and Bobby-Lynne trying to seduce Jackson in the adult film:

That exact transition is happening as that opening shot, right? I love that West sets up this very idea in the opening moments of the film.

So what does any of this mean? Let’s go beyond the visual choice to employ various aspect ratios. What does it mean to the film’s thematic focus and message? How does this visual motif affect the film’s aesthetic?

Let’s think about the two major overarching themes of the film and see how this shot sets them up.

The key themes of X

America at a crossroads

A huge component of X is the generational shift that’s affecting the U.S. in this time period. People are becoming more and more focused on the self and liberation and equality, and leaving behind the communal, nationalistic, doctrinal values of the early nineteenth century.

We see this tension play out several times in X. Howard is disgusted by Jackson’s bohemian lifestyle and believes that Jackson is trying to entice his wife; Pearl scoffs at Bobby-Lynne’s flirtatious persona and happily shoves her into the lake with the alligator; and the televangelist constantly comments on the deteriorating state of America.

Actually, let’s specifically focus on that preacher for a second. We see the preacher give the same tired old speech several times in the movie, including near the end of the movie when Maxine is trying to escape the farmhouse:

“Here we all are together. We’ve reached a crossroads of salvation or damnation. The time is now. For if we do not take control of our fate, the Lord shall do it for us. It’s time to turn our backs on sin and make the commitment once and for all.”

Consider that image. Where do we always see the preacher? On the television—a new piece of technology that signals the progress of times. It represents a moment when early nineteenth century values began to utilize a modern way to preach its messages.

And…what’s the aspect ratio of old televisions? 4:3.

The 4:3 aspect ratio—aka 1.3:1—is actually very close in size to the 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Similarly, it’s a very aged format that’s rarely used by filmmakers these days. You can see that aspect ratio in some modern movies, like American Honey or The Lighthouse, but it’s pretty uncommon.

Thus, this aged format becomes a looming presence in the film. While RJ and Wayne are trying to make an adult film for artistic and financial reasons, they’re using an aged aspect ratio that isn’t quite the same as the 4:3 aspect ratio. It’s close, but a little off. One of those formats (1.37:1) is used more for cinematic, artistic formats, while the other aspect ratio (4:3) is a staple of TV where televangelism lives.

This visually captures the thematic tension of the film. RJ wants to create beautiful art out of an adult film, and Lorraine is a church girl who’s intrigued by it all. RJ wants to bring beauty and narrative to the genre, while Wayne wants to make money off the pleasure of sex—a practice that the preacher demonizes and rallies against.

The other component of this visual tension? The preacher on television is actually Maxine’s father, and he’s secretly talking about Maxine for the entire film.

Which brings us to the other big theme of X.

Finding yourself

As the previous theme set up, there are aged values of community and tradition that young people simply do not have time for—they’re too busy establishing their own values and finding their own personality to be defined by something so rigidly out-of-touch

Thus, the 4:3 aspect ratio in which the preacher resides becomes a looming presence for Maxine throughout the film as she establishes herself in modern society. Consider what the preacher says about Maxine at the end of the movie:

“I hope that through my own admission others may find the light. I want to show y’all something. Get a shot of this. (Shows picture of Maxine) There she is! My beautiful little daughter Maxine. Lured into a life of sin by the very deviants we warn of here on a daily basis. From our lovin’ home into the hands of devils. We pray, one day, she’ll find her way home to us.”

The preacher is actively damning Maxine’s lifestyle, hopeful that she’ll put all that deviance behind and return home someday. And throughout the movie, the television keeps popping up wherever Maxine goes. She is constantly reminded of the path she chose and forced to defend her choices.

Yet, time and time again, she pushes on. She is never deterred by what people will think about her—in fact, she wants more and more people to notice her, to see what she’s doing. She’s proud of her lifestyle, of her personality, of her ability to drift outside the groupthink. She has that X factor, as Wayne puts it—and she’s not afraid to use it to her advantage.

And where does that X factor shine? In front of the camera—that is where she can reach the most people and have the biggest impact. Her ability to stay true to herself, to never deny what makes her special is the ultimate display of self-discovery. The times are changing, and she’s not going to be held back.

This speaks to Maxine’s relationship with Pearl, who serves as a symbolic representation of someone who’s held back by the times and never truly discovers themselves. Pearl was beautiful, but age took that away from her; she wanted to be a dancer, but could never turn it into a career; she used to be as attractive as Maxine and Bobby-Lynne, but now can’t even have sex with her husband. Meanwhile, Maxine is beautiful, is pursuing her career, has a thriving sex life.

Which brings us to an important component of the aspect ratio motif in the film: perspective. The 1.90:1 aspect ratio that the movie exists within is closely associated with how the human eye perceives the world. Thus, when we see people existing in Ti West’s chosen format, we’re seeing “reality.” Not the adult film being photographed by RJ and Wayne, and not the television where the preacher is raging against modern values—those are mere projections. Those are stories people are trying to force into the world. Those are narratives each competing for their respective idealizations of America.

And you could either fall into one of those camps—or you could transcend all the indoctrination and choose your own path. Like Maxine does.

Pearl, however, is unable to find the freedom that Maxine did. Which is why she’s so attracted to Maxine, why she fantasizes about living Maxine’s life. We see that play out when Pearl touches Maxine, desperate to forge a connection—and just then, West cuts to a shot of Jackson touching Bobby-Lynne in the adult film.

Pearl so desperately wants to become part of this idealized image created by RJ and Wayne, this format where Bobby-Lynne can benefit from her sexuality, this vessel in which Maxine capitalizes on her X factor. This is film vs. reality; manufactured narrative vs. true narrative; what you wanted to happen vs. what actually happened. And many people are ruined by this tension that affects us all—affects America as a whole.

The takeaway

Now let’s go all the way back to that opening shot. That tiny zoom-in from the barn onto the farmhouse represents all of that—every theme and message we’ve discussed. Thus, the opening shot becomes a meta moment that represents Ti West’s filmic intentions with the motif. Yes, the opening shot sets up the aspect ratio motif—but it also highlights how we are, indeed, watching a movie with a carefully chosen aspect ratio. And there’s a movie within this movie that serves as commentary on all the people within the movie…whoa.

This makes me think about the very end of the movie. One of the cops investigating the crime scene brings out a camera that contains the film for The Farmer’s Daughters. And after asking the sheriff what he thinks is on the film, the sheriff responds, “I’d say one godd*mned f*cked up horror picture.”

Yes, the sheriff is describing the adult film…but he’s also describing the exact film we just watched. The fight for control of future generations? The pressure to think and act a certain way? This desire to keep everything stuck in the past? To never truly discover yourself? That’s the ongoing story of the United States—that’s the messed up horror picture.

Yet we hardly recognize that West is making us a part of that messed up story right at the beginning of the film. He carefully guides us in and forces us to choose a path. Maxine sure does, as she notes later in the film: “I will not accept a life I do not deserve.” 

So how about you?

Why is the movie called X?

X is, of course, a horror film. West was determined to make his first slasher flick, and pays homage to classic horror movies like Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Alligator throughout the film. But X also echoes classic pornographic films, such as Debbie Does Dallas and Blue Movie. And both of those movies received the X rating upon their respective releases in 1978 and 1969.

The X rating was introduced alongside the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in 1968. In the early days, many directors would self-assign the X rating to their films if they contained content unsuitable for minors. That meant famous movies like Midnight Cowboy, Medium Cool, and A Clockwork Orange were X-rated when released. Soon enough, it became a marketing tool for pornographic filmmakers as adult movies became more popular and commercially viable. It turns out there was a sizable market to capture, so the idea was to emphasize the “adult content” of a motion picture.

X is about a group of people making an adult film that would have received the X rating back in 1979—so the reasoning for the title of the film could be as simple as that.

If you wanted to dig deeper, though, X is about the power of art, of movies, of storytelling. As we discussed in the themes section, West created a metafilm with X, meaning the movie is about the art of making movies. The camera almost becomes a character in the film, and the artists using the cameras become a reflection of the director who created the film you’re watching. By entrenching us in the process of making a movie, the director is able to intimately involve us in the artistry of film.

One point of contention X is that RJ wants to create a transcendent piece of art while Wayne just wants to make money in the budding adult film market—this reveals a tension that West strives to call to our attention. What do these people wish to accomplish with their film? Can an adult film have a greater impact on the world and create positive change? Or do adult movies offer nothing more than simple, carnal pleasure?

The metafilm format allows West to extract two specific themes: the ideological differences that divided America in the 1970s and the difficulty in finding one’s true calling. Back in 1979 when the film takes place, elder generations were decrying the moral state of the country, point to the rising adult film market as a sign of depraved values; while younger generations were becoming more liberated, in both the philosophical and sexual sense. Thus, represented a dividing line in the United States, represented a hurdle for the country’s growth.

These tensions specifically affect Maxine, who wishes to stake her claim and find her self-worth in the adult film market. Thus, the title “X” becomes a powerful assertion of one’s pride and vitality; an ode to the power of films that weren’t considered legitimate “art.” Maxine doesn’t shy away from her calling as an adult film star, but embraces it. Even when faced with the seeming ugly inevitably of her future in the form of Pearl, Maxine is steadfast in her fight to find her identity and manifest the future in her own image; she wants to change alongside America during such a monumental shift and embrace the positive values offered by her industry.

Important motifs in X

Filmmaking

X is essentially a metafilm—meaning the movie is about the art of making movies. There is, of course, a movie being made within the movie, which fundamentally qualifies X as a “metafilm.” R.J. strives to transcend the popular view of “pornography” and create a piece of art that transcends public expectations; he believes that one’s dedication and passion can extract the positive values that we typically only reserve for Hollywood dramas. While Wayne represents the superficial side of filmmaking, the desire to give people carnal pleasures and make a quick buck. That clash speaks to the inherent struggle of making a movie: what does a filmmaker get from the filmmaking experience?

But on a deeper level, West is smart to include a number of visual motifs that correlate the film’s aesthetic with both our own expectations of movies and Maxine’s character journey. As discussed above, West gravitates between the 1.37:1 aspect ratio (an antiquated technique that isn’t used very often by modern movies) and the 1.90:1 aspect ratio (the most common format you’d find these days). This motif demarcates what’s “real” and what’s “filmed” in X. The adult movie scenes are filmed in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio, which brings the dilemma between R.J. and Wayne front and center in a visual sense: is what we’re watching superficial pleasure? Or transcendent art?

This motif then highlights Maxine’s inherent struggle. She is being shamed by her father and the rest of the conservative world for her ambitions in the pornography business. The two main themes of X are “a divided nation” and “finding yourself.” Both of these struggles clash in the form of Maxine, who must manifest self-empowerment from her job, from her desire to become a star. When Maxine is on camera, she isn’t just acting—she’s acting out her passion. It is deeper than superficial pleasures for Maxine. And the movie’s filmic motif forces us to recognize that.

Aging

One of the key dynamics in X exists between Maxine and Pearl. Maxine is young and exuberant, ready to chase down her dreams and become famous. But Pearl lost her chance at a more fulfilling life. She had ambitions of becoming a famous dancer, but her plans were cast aside once her husband entered the war.

“That’s the power of beauty,” Pearl says to Maxine, as she explains her squashed dreams. “Not everything in life turns out how you expect.” At that moment, Pearl walks up to Maxine and says, “Such a special face. Beautiful.” She then asks Maxine to look into the mirror, and both of their faces and reflections are divided by a stair banister. As Maxine looks, Pearl reaches over and touches Maxine’s skin—almost as if she’s trying to extract from the fountain of youth.

This series of shots highlights the fear, the anxiety of aging. When you’re young, you seize the day; life feels short because there’s only so much time to realize your dreams. But when you’re old…life is long; you’re past your prime, and there’s no time left to chase your ambitions; so you settle down into a quiet life as you watch the rest of the young world chase and grow and shift the zeitgeist without your input. “Beauty” is only for the young. And all the Pearls of the world can do is look on with regret.

X takes that motif and gives it a horrifying framework. Pearl doesn’t just have to sit around and long for the past—she can exact revenge. She can inhibit the younger version of herself—as Pearl and Maxine look exactly alike—from succeeding. This becomes the central struggle of the film, as Maxine must combat the people who don’t want her to succeed. Maxine’s fight isn’t just with a conservative society that doesn’t want her to succeed in a morally reprehensible business—it’s also a fight with herself. Maxine must manifest her own destiny, must transcend societal expectations, must combat a future where she is denied a lifestyle she finds empowering.

Questions & answers about X

Who is the man in the basement?

This is probably the biggest question in the film. Alas, no answer if provided by the movie. Where a movie like Barbarian feels compelled to provide a backstory for the creepy basement of prisoners, X is content with letting the man’s body become part of the horror.

All the body really reveals is that Pearl and Howard have made a habit of ritualistically killing people on their farm. Their desire to kill links with the “divided America” theme, as they are murdering young people whom they believe exhibit immoral lifestyles and represent the compromised direction their country is heading.

Now it’s your turn

Have more unanswered questions about X? Are there themes or motifs we missed? Is there more to explain about the ending? Please post your questions and thoughts in the comments section! We’ll do our best to address every one of them. If we like what you have to say, you could become part of our movie guide!