We first encounter Lou (Kristen Stewart) when she\u2019s elbow deep in a toilet at the gym where she works, attempting to unclog someone\u2019s giant protein-powder dump. Our initial encounter with new girl in town Jackie (Katy O\u2019Brian) is equally unglamorous; mulleted dirtbag JJ (Dave Franco) is balls deep in her, promising a job at the local shooting range for her efforts. But when Lou and Jackie meet, they immediately connect: Lou is entranced by Jackie\u2019s bodybuilder physique and innate toughness, and Jackie is equally taken by Lou\u2019s matter-of-fact manner and clear interest. Lou\u2019s baseball tees and muscle tanks give her a cool air; she seems unflappable until she very much is not. Despite Lou\u2019s best efforts, the lovers can\u2019t escape Lou\u2019s family drama, from the domestic abuse suffered by her sister, Beth (Jena Malone), to the shady underworld ruled by her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set in 1989, Love Lies Bleeding <\/em>doesn\u2019t just focus on the hot, tumultuous romance between these two women; it also centers on bodies and their abilities, addictions, and desires. Most of its characters exert efforts to master their physical selves through sheer force of will, whether it\u2019s Lou\u2019s attempts to quit smoking or Jackie\u2019s work to win an upcoming bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas. The presence of bodybuilding enforces the themes of love, pain, and the extremes you\u2019ll go to; you have to break down the muscles to build them up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a constant buzz of motivational messaging throughout Love Lies Bleeding<\/em>. The gym walls have the standard eye roll-inducing inspirational signs that scream \u201cNo pain no gain,\u201d \u201cOnly losers quit,\u201d and \u201dPain is weakness leaving the body.\u201d Jackie\u2019s water bottle declares she is \u201cDedicated,\u201d as we see her work through a regimen of sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups with the kind of ease and good form that says these movements are habit. A Las Vegas marquee states, \u201cYou have to see it to believe it,\u201d hinting at the truly wild shit to come. Some beats in the plot feel expected, but it takes such crazy turns that it leaves you breathless at its audacity, especially in its final act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s rare to see women in film exerting this level of physical power and expressing this kind of rage. O\u2019Brian is mesmerizing in her ferociousness, consuming everything (except the yolks in eggs, of course) and being absolutely jacked in a way that women don\u2019t generally get to be on screen. Meanwhile, as Lou, Stewart has an appealing DGAF attitude, until she grits her teeth and has to handle the next crisis with resilience. Her past might have messed her up, but it\u2019s also left her capable of doing what needs to be done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Love Lies Bleeding<\/em> is grimy, grim stuff as past and present traumas threaten to resurface for these broken people, with unsettling flashbacks bathed in red light. Yet it\u2019s shockingly funny at times, if you\u2019re the type who can\u2019t help barking out a laugh at blackly comic elements. With her co-writer Weronika Tofilska, director Rose Glass has made an utterly electric film; it\u2019s exhilarating in how far and how hard it\u2019s willing to go. The violence is super gnarly, continuing to rub your face in the utter annihilation of someone\u2019s face after a grisly murder. That \u201cNo pain no gain\u201d aphorism on the gym wall could apply to Glass\u2019s approach; this is not easy viewing with likable characters with clear moral centers. Glass made her debut with the equally hard-to-watch Saint Maud<\/em>, and Loves Lies Bleeding<\/em> shares DNA with that movie\u2019s horror genre, though this is more of a thriller. It\u2019s so violent at times that it dares you to look away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But even if you averted your eyes, you couldn\u2019t avoid the sounds. Supervising sound designer Paul Davies and his team have done some truly nasty, truly evocative work with the crunch of bones and the wet squish of flesh. Clint Mansell\u2019s unnerving synth score of eerie high-pitched tones and low hums keeps the audience squirming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With all its darkness, Love Lies Bleeding<\/em> should be a real bummer, but I found it an absolute blast that left me buzzing with energy and eager to talk about it to anyone who will listen. It ends on such a sickly funny note that audiences will either cackle with glee or shake their heads in disgust as they sprint for the exit. Glass and her team have crafted a marvelous film at first glance, but great little details reveal themselves on a second viewing (if you can stomach another go-round). I know we\u2019ve been bad (though maybe not as bad as these people), but we deserve more movies like this blood-soaked gem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Love Lies Bleeding” is out Friday in limited release.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/love2-1024x683.jpg\")
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