“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 excellent. But, best of all, the short packs an unexpected surprise ending, not easy to pull off in twenty minutes.
THE CAST OF THE PEARL COMB
“The Pearl Comb” by Writer/Director/Actor Ali Cook.
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 explains to the investigator, a doctor cousin of her husband’s, that it is not skill but luck that has allowed her to cure the young boy’s ailment. She gives full credit to her husband, Gregory, played by Writer/Director Ali Cook (“Ragdoll.”)
One line that sums up Beatie’s message: ”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
A mermaid (Clara Paget, “Black Sails”) gives a humble fisherman the gift of healing in “The Pearl Comb.”
Beatie Lutey’s explanation to the investigator of her ability to cure others of disease stems from an encounter her husband had with a mermaid many years prior. The mermaid (Clara Paget of “Black Sails”) promises Gregory wealth if he helps her return to the ocean. (“Beautiful mortal, help me. Carry me out to sea.”) He asked, instead, for the ability to cure others, particularly his wife, which caused the mermaid to say, “You are the first unselfish man I have ever met. “To prove to Gregory that he is not just imagining their meeting, she gives him a pearl-encrusted comb.
The film is a blend of the mystical and the modern. Even the line from Beatie when Gregory call 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 fantastical, is true.
CONCLUSION
“The Pearl Comb” from Ali Cook.
“The Pearl Comb” is both beautiful and thought-provoking, with a surprise near 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 on April 4th at the Allen Theatre (9:50 p.m.) It subsequently will be available on CIFF Streams from April 6-13th.
