Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Directed by Rose Glass, Written by Rose Glass & Weronika Tofilska, Produced by Andrea Cornwell & Oliver Kassman, Music by Clint Mansell, Cinematography by Ben Fordesman, Edited by Mark Towns, Starring Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco & Ed Harris.
Lou is a reclusive gym manager who falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder who's heading to Las Vegas to pursue her dream. Their love soon leads to violence as they get pulled deep into the web of Lou's criminal family.
*I intend this to be a non-spoiler article that would encourage you to go and watch the film.
Rose Glass pictured on the set of Saint Maud with Cinematographer Ben Fordesman
I adored “Saint Maud” (2019) the directorial debut from Rose Glass.
I was looking forward to her next project. Unfortunately and frustratingly on top of the obvious that Glass is a female director who would be trying to secure funding in the modern film industry we also had a dangerous global pandemic causing delays but eventually, in 2024 we got “Love Lies Bleeding”.
The film is a neo-noir crime romance. It is also wonderful.
The film takes place in a rural New Mexican town in 1989.
Kristen Stewart (Personal Shopper / Spencer) plays Lou a quiet reclusive gym manager who meets Jackie, a nomadic bisexual bodybuilder who is portrayed by Katy O'Brian (The Mandalorian / Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) who arrives in the town to train ahead of a major event in Las Vegas—the two meet and fall in love.
Lou is being pursued/stalked by a local girl Daisy, she also spends time running interference between her sister and her abusive husband and even though living in a small town strives to maintain a distance from her powerful and influential estranged father.
I do not want to spoil anything… but hijinks ensues!
I know I have the habit of comparing films to other films and directors to other directors but that is just the way my brain works and the vast majority of the time I don’t mean this to suggest a film lacks creativity or is in any way derivative I throw out comparisons as a shorthand for “vibe” or approach. That being said “Love Lies Bleeding” is truly “Lynchian”.
“Lynchian” refers to the work of the genius American filmmaker and artist David Lynch.
People often think “Lynchian” means “surreal, confusing nightmare” in the vein of his film “Eraserhead,” but that is actually “Kafkaesque,” echoing the unpleasant, frightening, and confusing situations described in Franz Kafka's novels.
David Lynch’s milieu is setting his characters in mundane Americana environments but become embroiled in a seedy dark underbelly of crime. He uses surreal bold imagery, dream logic and meticulous sound design to tell his stories.
I will repeat myself “Love Lies Bleeding” is truly “Lynchian” and I mean that has high praise.
Glass also incorporates a dash of the pitch-black humour of the Coen brothers and I even got a whiff of John Carpenter’s masterpiece “They Live”.
The film not only looks amazing but has a kinetic pace and is riveting throughout its fantastic 104-minute runtime.
Anna Baryshnikov as Alice.
Ed Harris as Lou Langston Sr.
The whole cast is outstanding but I must highlight Anna Baryshnikov who is remarkable in the role of Daisy her screen time is brief but she makes it count.
Ed Harris is so good as Lou Langston Sr., Lou's estranged father he is pitch-perfect.
True it is not a stretch for him to play a villain but he just does it so well!
In the film, he is sporting a fantastic hairstyle that can only be described as a
“Skull-et” skull on top/party at the back.
If you are up for a Queer, Lynchian, Neo-Noir, Romance, Crime, Thriller!
This is the film for you!
This film is available to watch on Prime Video included with your subscription.
