JP Nunez
Writer/director Rose Glass burst onto the scene a few years ago with her debut feature Saint Maud, and much like Jordan Peele and Robert Eggers, she immediately cemented herself as one of the best horror filmmakers in the business. A new Rose Glass film is now an event in the fan community, so naturally, her sophomore effort, Love Lies Bleeding, was on just about everybody’s most-anticipated list even though it’s not a straight-up horror movie (it’s more of a crime thriller). We couldn’t wait to see what thrills this film had in store for us, and after finally getting the chance to watch it, I’m happy to report that it does not disappoint.
Love Lies Bleeding was directed and co-written by Rose Glass, and it stars Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris. In the movie, Jackie is an aspiring bodybuilder who moves to a new town where she doesn’t know anybody, and when she starts working out at a local gym, her life changes in ways she never could’ve imagined. It all begins when she meets Lou, the lonely woman who runs the place, and they instantly fall for each other.
At first, everything seems to be going great for the couple, but after witnessing the aftermath of a particularly nasty incidence of domestic violence, Jackie and Lou’s two-person utopia soon comes crashing down. They get caught up in an insidious web of bloody violence, and to make matters worse, they also find themselves entangled in the dangerous world of Lou’s father, a longtime gun trafficker.
Pretty much right from the get-go, Love Lies Bleeding had me absolutely hooked. For starters, the acting in this movie is great, and three performances in particular really stand out. First, we have Ed Harris, the actor who plays Lou’s father. He makes everything his character says and does feel super creepy even when it’s totally innocuous, so you just know this guy is going to do something terrible.
Next, let’s talk a bit about Kristen Stewart. She plays Lou, and from the very beginning, she has a tangible air of world-weariness about her. You can feel that life has beaten her down to the point where she’s accepted her sad lot, but as the story goes on, you see that she hasn’t entirely given up. She can still care about people, and Stewart pulls off that razor-sharp balance like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
But hands down, the best performance in Love Lies Bleeding belongs to Katy O’Brian, who plays Jackie. When we first meet her, she has an infectious, bright-eyed optimism that complements Lou’s more pessimistic vibe really well, but as the movie goes on, she changes drastically. She starts to spiral out of control and lose her grip on reality, and O’Brian absolutely nails the character’s descent into madness. Seriously, I knew she was a good actress, but I didn’t know she was this good. I walked away with a whole new appreciation for her talent, so I absolutely can’t wait to see where she goes from here.
Those great characters are the bedrock of Love Lies Bleeding, but what really takes the film to another level is the cinematic edifice Rose Glass builds on that foundation. Much like Saint Maud, the story here is all about the destructive potential in our passions and commitments. In Saint Maud, it was Maud’s hyper-strict and idiosyncratic adherence to her religion, and here, it’s primarily (although not exclusively) two things: ambition to be the best in your field (in this case, bodybuilding) and sexual/romantic attraction. We may not always think of passions like those as dangerous, but Love Lies Bleeding skillfully shows how they can be ticking time bombs just waiting to consume our lives and lead us down a dark path if we’re not careful.
That being said, telling a good story is only half the battle. A film also needs to tell its story in an interesting and entertaining way, and thankfully, Love Lies Bleeding knocks it out of the park on that front as well. For example, it has some really good gore effects, and I especially enjoyed one involving Lou’s brother-in-law (you’ll know it when you see it).
Along similar lines, the movie also visualizes Jackie’s descent into insanity in a way that’s a bit reminiscent of Maud’s loose grip on reality in Saint Maud. That film does a great job of letting us see Maud’s delusions through her eyes, and Love Lies Bleeding does the same with Jackie’s. Most notably, throughout the movie, there are multiple times when we see her muscles bulge and her veins pop out almost as if she’s turning into the Incredible Hulk, and the end gets all sorts of weird in a way you will not see coming. Those moments add a slight fantastical touch to this otherwise very grounded story, and for a voracious fan of the fantastical like me, it’s an absolute blast.
In case you couldn’t tell, I had a great time with this film. I don’t think it’s quite as good as Saint Maud, but it’s definitely a worthy follow-up. It’s a fantastic story with excellent characters, some fun gore, and an awesome touch of fantasy, so it’s safe to say that Rose Glass is way more than just a one-hit-wonder.
Love Lies Bleeding is playing in theaters right now.
