Review: 'Love Lies Bleeding' is a hot-and-heavy noir thriller, with Kristen Stewart and newcomer Katy O'Brian showing steaming chemistry
“Steamy” barely begins to describe the heat on display in “Love Lies Bleeding,” a deliciously devilish slice of lesbian noir from director Rose Glass — that showcases one of our best actors, Kristen Stewart, and an appealing newcomer in Katy O’Brian.
Stewart plays Lou, who’s living her days in 1989 working at a gym in New Mexico, a lonely existence of cleaning out toilets and wiping down barbells. She would love to get out of New Mexico, away from her mobster father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), who owns the gym. But if Lou left, there would be no one to protect her older sister, Beth (Jena Malone), who’s regularly abused by her scum bucket of a husband, JJ (Dave Franco).
Something needs to happen to shake up the status quo, and that something is Jackie (played by O’Brian), who’s hitchhiking across the Southwest to get to Las Vegas — where she plans to compete in a body-building tournament. Jackie is a survivor, which is apparent when we first see her, having sex in a car with JJ, who promises to introduce her to Lou Sr.. Lou Sr. gives Jackie a job as a waitress at the gun range he owns, which injects a whole mess of Chekhov’s guns into the story.
When Jackie enters the gym, the sparks between her and Lou are abundant. Lou becomes smitten enough that she offers Jackie a place to stay and access to some steroids that were left behind by somebody at the gym. An extremely hot romance ensues, and too late Lou discovers that Jackie has a dark side — one that results in a murder that Lou is happy to help cover up, which brings more complications to the couple and to Lou Sr.’s operation.
Glass, who explored body horror and religious obsession in her 2019 debut “Saint Maud,” finds love and pumping iron to be equally powerful obsessions — and a good way to explore more horrors, particularly as Jackie has episodes that bring out the beast in her. Her eye is impeccable, and each frame burns in the retinas with passion and violent beauty.
O’Brian, who’s had recurring roles in “The Mandalorian,” is quite a discovery, capturing a tortured, gentle soul within a sleek, muscular body that could crush bones. Stewart, who seems to be capable of anything, imbues Lou with the battered heart of a woman who’s been singed by love before but is willing to jump into the flames for Jackie. Their scenes together crackle with energy, a meeting not just of bodies but of spirits. And watch for Anna Baryshnikov, who’s delightful and chilling as Daisy, Lou’s mischief-making ex.
The ending of “Love Lies Bleeding” is a strange one, as Glass and her co-writer, Weronika Tofilska, explore mythology and a little fantasy in ways that will divide audiences (as they did at Sundance this year). The ending hit me right in the sweet spot, combining gritty noir with a splash of magical realism for some emotionally raw but stylistically perfect moments.
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‘Love Lies Bleeding’
★★★1/2
Opens Friday, March 15, in theaters everywhere. Rated R for violence and grisly images, sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug use. Running time: 104 minutes.