my @files = glob("*");
[download]

Here, the filenames you read in are encoded as bytes. See them as bytes:

use Data::Dumper;
$Data::Dumper::Useqq = 1;

my @files = glob("*");
for my $file (@files) {
    say Dumper $file;
};
[download]

Now, if you want to use Unicode matching semantics, you want to decode your filenames from the filesystem representation into Unicode:

use Encode 'decode';
use Data::Dumper;
$Data::Dumper::Useqq = 1;

my @files = map { decode 'UTF-8', $_ } glob("*");
for my $file (@files) {
    say Dumper $file;
};
[download]

The filesystem operations take raw strings, but your regular expression takes a Unicode string. Use the correct one in each situation.

Corion, it looks like you are right after all. I need to also change how the hex codes were printed and use sprintf "%vX"

Wow, this is all so confusing. But I'm learning (hopefully). Thank you!

$PM = "Perl Monk's";
$MC = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop Pontiff Deacon Curate Priest Vicar Parson";
$nysus = $PM . ' ' . $MC;
Click here if you love Perl Monks

Thanks, but I'm not sure I follow. I tried applying decode to file names:

#! /usr/bin/env perl

use v5.36;

use Encode 'decode';

# get all the files in the current directory
my @files = map { decode 'UTF-8', $_ } glob("*");
my ($file) = grep { /Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14\s/ } @files;

my $ss = $files[0];
my $hex = unpack("H*", $ss);
say $hex;

say $file; # ERROR!

my $blah = "Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png";
my $hex2 = unpack("H*", $blah);
say $hex2;

say $hex eq $hex2 ? "hexes equal" : "hexes not equal";

say $blah =~ /Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14\s/;  # WORKS!
[download]

OUTPUTS:

Character in 'H' format wrapped in unpack at ./test.pl line 12.
53637265656e73686f742d323032342d30322d32332d61742d312e30352e31342f414d
+2e706e67
Wide character in say at ./test.pl line 15.
Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png
53637265656e73686f742d323032342d30322d32332d61742d312e30352e3134e280af
+414d2e706e67
hexes not equal
[download]

$PM = "Perl Monk's";
$MC = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop Pontiff Deacon Curate Priest Vicar Parson";
$nysus = $PM . ' ' . $MC;
Click here if you love Perl Monks

And we're back to the original question (answered here): You're missing use utf8;.

Also, you should be using sprintf "%vX", $_ instead of unpack "H*", $_. The former handles any strings. The latter only handles strings of bytes (strings where the characters are no higher than 0xFF), so it's definitely inappropriate here.

#!/usr/bin/perl

use v5.36;
use warnings;

# Source code encoded using UTF-8.
use utf8;

# Terminal provides/expects UTF-8 (for `say`).
use open ":std", ":encoding(UTF-8)"; 

use Encode qw( decode_utf8 );

my $base = "Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14\x{202F}AM.png";
my $lit  = "Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png";

my @files = map { decode_utf8 $_ } glob( "*" );
my ( $file ) = grep { /^Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14\s/ } @files;

my $base_hex = sprintf "%vX", $hex;

for ( $base, $lit, $file ) {
   say $_;
   say $_ eq $base ? "same" : "different";

   my $hex = sprintf "%vX", $_;
   say $hex;
   say $hex eq $base_hex ? "same" : "different";
}

Output:

Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png
same
53.63.72.65.65.6E.73.68.6F.74.2D.32.30.32.34.2D.30.32.2D.32.33.2D.61.74.2D.31.2E.30.35.2E.31.34.202F.41.4D.2E.70.6E.67
same
Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png
same
53.63.72.65.65.6E.73.68.6F.74.2D.32.30.32.34.2D.30.32.2D.32.33.2D.61.74.2D.31.2E.30.35.2E.31.34.202F.41.4D.2E.70.6E.67
same
Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png
same
53.63.72.65.65.6E.73.68.6F.74.2D.32.30.32.34.2D.30.32.2D.32.33.2D.61.74.2D.31.2E.30.35.2E.31.34.202F.41.4D.2E.70.6E.67
same

Why do you use literals in your source code?

You have the UTF-8 in your source code:

my $blah = "Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png";
[download]

... but you never tell Perl that your source code should be seen as utf8.

Don't use UTF-8 in your source code unless you also tell Perl about it.

Also, you will have noted already that your regular expression matches on the decoded filename.

Definitely a bug (I think):

#! /usr/bin/env perl

use v5.36;
use utf8;

# get all the files in the current directory
my @files = glob("*");
my ($file) = grep { /Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14\s/ } @files;

my $ss = $files[0];
my $hex = unpack("H*", $ss);
say $hex;

say $file; # ERROR!

my $blah = "Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14 AM.png";
my $hex2 = unpack("H*", $blah);
say $hex2;

say $hex eq $hex2 ? "hexes equal" : "hexes not equal";

say $blah =~ /Screenshot-2024-02-23-at-1.05.14\s/;  # WORKS!
[download]

OUTPUT:

53637265656e73686f742d323032342d30322d32332d61742d312e30352e3134e280af
+414d2e706e67
Use of uninitialized value $file in say at ./test.pl line 14.

Character in 'H' format wrapped in unpack at ./test.pl line 17.
53637265656e73686f742d323032342d30322d32332d61742d312e30352e31342f414d
+2e706e67
hexes not equal
1
[download]

And here's a hex dump of the perl script just to confirm variable $blah has the utf8 character in it:

> $ hexd test.pl                                                      
+                                                                     
+        [±main ●▴]
          00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 - 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F  012345678
+9ABCDEF

00000000  23 21 20 2F 75 73 72 2F - 62 69 6E 2F 65 6E 76 20  #! /usr/b
+in/env
00000010  70 65 72 6C 0A 0A 75 73 - 65 20 76 35 2E 33 36 3B  perl..use
+ v5.36;
00000020  0A 75 73 65 20 75 74 66 - 38 3B 0A 0A 23 20 67 65  .use utf8
+;..# ge
00000030  74 20 61 6C 6C 20 74 68 - 65 20 66 69 6C 65 73 20  t all the
+ files
00000040  69 6E 20 74 68 65 20 63 - 75 72 72 65 6E 74 20 64  in the cu
+rrent d
00000050  69 72 65 63 74 6F 72 79 - 0A 6D 79 20 40 66 69 6C  irectory.
+my @fil
00000060  65 73 20 3D 20 67 6C 6F - 62 28 22 2A 22 29 3B 0A  es = glob
+("*");.
00000070  6D 79 20 28 24 66 69 6C - 65 29 20 3D 20 67 72 65  my ($file
+) = gre
00000080  70 20 7B 20 2F 53 63 72 - 65 65 6E 73 68 6F 74 2D  p { /Scre
+enshot-
00000090  32 30 32 34 2D 30 32 2D - 32 33 2D 61 74 2D 31 2E  2024-02-2
+3-at-1.
000000A0  30 35 2E 31 34 5C 73 2F - 20 7D 20 40 66 69 6C 65  05.14\s/ 
+} @file
000000B0  73 3B 0A 0A 6D 79 20 24 - 73 73 20 3D 20 24 66 69  s;..my $s
+s = $fi
000000C0  6C 65 73 5B 30 5D 3B 0A - 6D 79 20 24 68 65 78 20  les[0];.m
+y $hex
000000D0  3D 20 75 6E 70 61 63 6B - 28 22 48 2A 22 2C 20 24  = unpack(
+"H*", $
000000E0  73 73 29 3B 0A 73 61 79 - 20 24 68 65 78 3B 0A 0A  ss);.say 
+$hex;..
000000F0  73 61 79 20 24 66 69 6C - 65 3B 20 23 20 45 52 52  say $file
+; # ERR
00000100  4F 52 21 0A 0A 6D 79 20 - 24 62 6C 61 68 20 3D 20  OR!..my $
+blah =
00000110  22 53 63 72 65 65 6E 73 - 68 6F 74 2D 32 30 32 34  "Screensh
+ot-2024
00000120  2D 30 32 2D 32 33 2D 61 - 74 2D 31 2E 30 35 2E 31  -02-23-at
+-1.05.1
00000130  34 E2 80 AF 41 4D 2E 70 - 6E 67 22 3B 0A 6D 79 20  4...AM.pn
+g";.my
00000140  24 68 65 78 32 20 3D 20 - 75 6E 70 61 63 6B 28 22  $hex2 = u
+npack("
00000150  48 2A 22 2C 20 24 62 6C - 61 68 29 3B 0A 73 61 79  H*", $bla
+h);.say
00000160  20 24 68 65 78 32 3B 0A - 0A 73 61 79 20 24 68 65   $hex2;..
+say $he
00000170  78 20 65 71 20 24 68 65 - 78 32 20 3F 20 22 68 65  x eq $hex
+2 ? "he
00000180  78 65 73 20 65 71 75 61 - 6C 22 20 3A 20 22 68 65  xes equal
+" : "he
00000190  78 65 73 20 6E 6F 74 20 - 65 71 75 61 6C 22 3B 0A  xes not e
+qual";.
000001A0  0A 73 61 79 20 24 62 6C - 61 68 20 3D 7E 20 2F 53  .say $bla
+h =~ /S
000001B0  63 72 65 65 6E 73 68 6F - 74 2D 32 30 32 34 2D 30  creenshot
+-2024-0
000001C0  32 2D 32 33 2D 61 74 2D - 31 2E 30 35 2E 31 34 5C  2-23-at-1
+.05.14\
000001D0  73 2F 3B 20 20 23 20 57 - 4F 52 4B 53 21 0A 0A 0A  s/;  # WO
+RKS!...
[download]

$PM = "Perl Monk's";
$MC = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop Pontiff Deacon Curate Priest Vicar Parson";
$nysus = $PM . ' ' . $MC;
Click here if you love Perl Monks