Now in Wider Release Exclusively in Theaters.
Rose Glass’s crime thriller is a rotten and often grotesque neo-noir that kept me glued to the screen from beginning to end. Like more neo-noir’s, Glass’s film centers on morally gray protagonists doing battle with amoral characters, all of whom are couped up in such a small town. Corruption and violence is never too far away and “Loves Lies Bleeding” centers on Lou and Jackie, both of whom are desperate to escape their confines. More and more their lives feel like prisons, with their whole source of misery pointed toward domestic dysfunction.
Reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.
Lou’s life is already fractured with a dead mother, criminal father and older sister who is hopelessly a victim of her abusive husband. When Lou and Jackie meet it arouses a fire storm of love and passion that sets them down dark paths in their effort to carve out better lives. “Love Lies Bleeding” reminded me very much of films like “Requiem for a Dream” and “At Close Range,” where family plays a heavy role in the burden of the narrative’s protagonists. Both women walk down a near endless road of pain and abuse and can never seem to escape predators lurking near them at all times. What begins as a tragic romance, transforms in to a pitch black crime thriller where Lou is given to exploiting the very amorality that her father Lou sr. thrives on.
Ed Harris is a wonderful villain as Lou Sr. a bespectacled mastermind who always has his hand in every bit of their small town. Lou Sr. is an imposing monster from the moment we meet him and can never really seem bring himself around to caring for anyone, even when his daughter is beaten near senseless by her mulleted spouse (Dave Franco). Rose Glass’s “Love Lies Bleeding” is a truly unique and fascinating amalgam of sub-genres that culminate in to such an impressive modern take on the neo-noir. The film packs a stellar cast including Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian, both of whom respectively deliver downright stellar turns here. O’Brian is especially great as a female bodybuilder who is willing to do anything to win, even at the cost of her physical health.
Her inevitable chemical dependence gradually descends in to a bit of madness that is pretty startling. “Love Lies Bleeding” takes a bit of a bizarre, completely unhinged turn in the finale, but thankfully it doesn’t hinder the overall experience. Glass opts a lot for symbolism and allegory which some viewers might come away with as literal. Nonetheless, Rose Glass’s crime thriller is one of the better cinematic outings of the year, supported by a strong story and some top tier performances.