Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Rose Glass follows up her stately debut Saint Maud (2019) with this enthralling tale of love and revenge. Lou (Kristen Stewart) and Jackie (Katy O'Brian), a reclusive gym manager and an aspiring bodybuilder respectively become entwined romantically and subsequently criminally after events conspire against them in a small New Mexican desert town.

Lou manages a gym and looks miserable and fed up whilst doing it; it quickly becomes apparent that the only reason she's still in this town is to protect her sister Beth (Jena Malone), who is regularly abused by her husband JJ (Dave Franco). Lou's paltry existence is awoken from its slumber by the arrival of Jackie in town, a young woman en route to take part in a bodybuilding championships in Las Vegas. The two become involved almost immediately; and just as swiftly Jackie gets work at a shooting range, one which unbeknownst to her is run by Lou's Dad (Lou Sr, Ed Harris sporting a terrifying haircut).

Lou Sr is bad news, it's obvious just by looking at him. JJ, equally bad news, works under him at the shooting range, and the film kicks into gear after he puts his wife in hospital. Saying anymore would give away the plot, but suffice to say Love Lies Bleeding is one of 2024's best so far. Glass provides us with proof of an astonishing range here; combining elements of horror with seventies revenge video nasties, resulting in a truly enthralling cocktail of exploitational B-movie pleasure. The film is a blast from start to finish, and is driven by truly brilliant performances from Stewart and O'Brian who ensure that you totally buy into their relationship meaning the whole things just works in the way that this year's Challengers simply didn't.

Guadagnino's Challengers was sold as "making tennis look sexy", and billed in some quarters as some kind of sweaty erotic thriller. Love Lies Bleeding succeeds exactly where Challengers failed so badly. Jackie's use of steroids that Lou gives her slowly begin to take effect both positively and detrimentally-powering lustful yet passionate sex scenes but also leading to serious problems for both of them.

Glass notably yet subtly touches on the idea of male fear of female strength, and the murky underworld of Lou Sr's mafia-like dealings have their work cut out trying to prevent events spiraling out of control. As Jackie's steroids begin to take hold of her she experiences near out of body experiences- a couple of which are fleshed out with stunning use of Throbbing Gristle's 'Hamburger Lady', something that surely no other film can claim. Indeed the soundtrack itself and the mise en scene place the film in 1989 (we see the Berlin wall coming down on a television set) and Clint Mansell's magnificent score combined with a variety of shots of outer space call to mind another Mansell scored film- Duncan Jones' Moon (2009). That might seem an odd comparison but Glass isn't afraid to mash up genre's here. The grindhouse influence is undeniable, as are the otherworldly horror components and a touch of magical realism as the film approaches its terrific conclusion.

It's impossible not to think of Ridley Scott's Thelma and Louise (1991) at times; two women against the world after an appalling male assault. But despite the fact that almost every male character in the film is unpleasant, Love Lies Bleeding is such a joyride that if this is a point Glass is trying to make, she's sensible enough to not let it overshadow the film. The focus remains on the fascinating relationship at the center of it, one that you totally and utterly believe in.

Fingers crossed Love Lies Bleeding finds the audience it deserves, at the very least it should be a future cult classic. But this is so much better than that. Despite being a big fan of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse (Planet Terror [2007] and Death Proof [2007] respectively) Love Lies Bleeding is a much better example of something even more proficient. It's a stunning piece of work and fills you with excitement for whatever third feature Rose Glass decides to make. 8.7/10