GIRLS, GUNS & AND GRIT
Love Lies Bleeding drips with heat, lust, and passion from the offset in a twisted bodily bloodbath.
Lou (Kristen Stewart) is a solitary, jaded gym-manager, who falls for Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a rising bodybuilder who shows up one day to continue her workouts in preparation for a competition in Vegas.
With an amped-up 80s synth soundtrack and posters a direct homage to pulp fiction graphics, Love Lies Bleeding embraces its gritty elements, which add to its allure. Not to mention, the movie title is also a flower, a poem of heartbreak by Christina Rossetti, and a play by Don DeLillo about a dying artist. In the world of the arts, love has long meant violence, blood and pain, captured here with a sizzling, hard-boiled ultraviolence.
A pumped-up 80s synth soundtrack propels us between Jackie’s steroid-induced progress and Lou’s shady criminal family, between gyms and gun ranges, bedsheets and trailer parks. The two tangle themselves in a messy, almost suffocating obsession, that leads to heartbreak and vengeance.
Kristen Stewart delivers a stellar performance as Lou, shedding the constraints of Hollywood to embrace a role that parallels her previous work while offering something entirely new. Alongside her, Katy O’Brian shines as Jackie, dominating the screen with her commanding presence and awe-inspiring physique.
The film’s balance of grit and surrealism is masterfully handled by director Rose Glass, who navigates the complexities of the story with finesse. Moments of fantasy are seamlessly woven into the narrative, creating a captivating viewing experience.
As the story builds to it conclusive height, the lines between reality and fantasy. Stewart has described the film as “a fever dream you don’t want to wake up from,” perfectly capturing the gripping intensity of Love Lies Bleeding.
It hits UK cinemas from May 3. Glasgow Film Festival runs to March 10.
