Love Lies Bleeding is a fierce double-hander of a film from Rose Glass. Her breakout, Saint Maud, was a sensation, fierce and unstoppable from begin to end – surprising and provocative, and this 80s pulp thriller is a gradual burn transfer of managed chaos. It’s a love at first sight second between reclusive health club supervisor Lou – one of many few queer people in a hostile city, and newcomer Jackie who’s a bodybuilder passing by with goals of hitting the massive time. However Lou’s household has a prison previous, and once they cross her father – Ed Harris’ unflinchingly evil Lou Sr, occasions unfold in a chilling means that may hold you on the sting of your seat.
That is tonally very totally different from Saint Maud however there’s plenty of horror right here. Katy O’Brian steals the scene as breakout Jackie, fierce and an actual tour de power. Her path into embracing her anger and rage is dealt with beautifully, the habit and spiral clashes with Lou’s personal path – she’s been by hell, each have – their solely solace is one another. It’s them towards the world, actually and figuratively, Ed Harris’ efficiency as Lou’s father is such a menacing character he performs it so convincingly properly you possibly can’t assist however be stored on edge. Few actors can handle to maintain a relentless command of dread and despair each time Harris is within the room – the third act tonal shift because the movie adjustments from ardour, romance born out of need, to violence and chaos, conserving you on edge proper the best way by. The third act has such a mastery of tension-building suspense it’s arduous to tear your eyes away from – the pairing of those two broken characters with their broken pasts – it takes the plot of one thing like Jack Reacher and turns it utterly on its head, a lonesome drifter questioning into city and crashing the place on the coronary heart of the thriller, upending the pure regulation and order of issues – they might make 20 Jackie films and I’d watch each single one in every of them – that’s how good O’Brian is.
However Jackie and Lou work once they’re greatest collectively and Glass understands the significance of the gaze – eye contact, and the way important it’s for connection. I’d put this above Challengers in how the connection between characters develops, I simply assume it’s a mastery construct between two doomed souls, and there’s plenty of dedication to like above all else right here which will really feel inherently tacky, however it even suits in with Glass’ filmography, Saint Maud confirmed a special type of warped love, obsession and need – and there are touches of obsession right here from Lou, controlling, we see hints of her previous scars – the extra you be taught concerning the character it’s clear such a tapestry of occasions are unfolding.
Love Lies Bleeding has all of it, violence that feels so excessive it’s arduous to tear your eyes away from, the star energy is close to good and Kristen Stewart continues to cement her repute as top-of-the-line working actors. Movie of the 12 months contender – I fell head over heels with this and it’d be an ideal, a lot unbelievable, way more sinister pairing to The Iron Claw – a controlling father together with his grip destroying a tortured household.
