After her thrilling debut in 2019’s Saint Maud which was critically praised and established Rose Glass as one of the new exciting faces of British Cinema, there was much more anticipation as to what her sophomore movie would be. Kristen Stewart, who many consider to be one of the best working actors in the business, became a fan of Rose’s work and signed onto her next project without even knowing what it was going to be about.
Love Lies Bleeding takes place in the year 1989 in the quiet but dangerous state of New Mexico which provides an eerie, hot, and quiet setting that provides a lot of added weight to the story and helps to establish the tone. We are first introduced to Lou, played by Kristen Stewart, the reclusive manager at the local gym that we find out is later owned by her father, Lou Sr, played by the everlasting Ed Harris who runs the city and local gun range.
It’s clear from the start that there isn’t much to Lou’s life as she lives under the thumb of her father (for reasons we find out in the film) that keeps her from doing what she wants to do and leaving New Mexico after certain events that have left her scarred. Before production on the movie began the role of the bodybuilder whom Lou falls for (very hard) wasn’t cast yet and with one quick tweet responding to said casting, Katy O’Brian replied and got the role. Having competed in bodybuilding competitions before she became an actor, O’Brien had the physique and the discipline to break out in this role.
Jackie (O’Brian) staggers into town dreaming of entering the Las Vegas Bodybuilding competition to find success and meaning in her very tough life, so she and Lou have more in common than just a physical connection. O’Brien delivers an impressive debut lead performance as she goes toe to toe with very established actors while also bringing a chaotic energy that keeps you interested in what she is thinking or doing. You can tell from certain parts of the movie where Glass pays homage to elements done before by Cronenberg, Lynch, and even the Coen Brothers in parts of the dialogue and some of the fighting sequences. This movie has an energy and a feeling of fantasy to it that makes it different from other movies like this. It’s everything you want in a Neo-noir thriller and much more, it’s psychological, physical, emotional, violent, and just about full of any emotion you can think of. It sticks with you after it’s over and there is a lot that isn’t given away in the marketing, it’s best to go blind to get the full experience.