Rose Glass’ "LOVE LIES BLEEDING"
A review by Dennis D. McDonald
The writer/director’s vision raises this film way beyond its pulp/noir themes:
Sad and lonely female gym manager in a godforsaken New Mexico backwater falls in love with a driven female bodybuilder who is on her way to compete in a Las Vegas bodybuilding competition.
Bodybuilder falls in love and moves in with the gym manager. Sweaty passion follows.
Bodybuilder becomes entangled with the gym manager’s family. She takes the law into her own hands when the gym manager’s beloved sister is hospitalized by her wifebeater husband.
Gym manager’s dad, who owns the town and the police, becomes embroiled in the mess and tries to prevent things from spiraling out of his control.
These are just the basics. The casual viewer will be forgiven for thinking this film is just one more in the “bad people acting badly and doing dumb and nasty things" genre. But in director Glass’ hands this film rises to a stratospheric mix of lust, crime, violence, gore, luminescent color, surreal fantasy, and patches of laugh out loud humor.
The cast and performances are top-notch. Kristen Stewart is fast becoming my favorite female actor. Her mix of depression, loneliness, and devotion here is superb. Ed Harris as her dad/crime lord boss is both creepy and magnetic. But everyone is great in this film it as it segues from high tension to violence and back again, with doses of humor tossed in to liven things up.
It's certainly the most colorful and gritty film I've seen in recent years and is highly recommended for those with a strong stomach and a weird sense of humor.
Review copyright 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald
