Love Lies Bleeding
The surprisingly funny "Love Lies Bleeding" is a muscular exercise in neo-noir.
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If you saw writer/director Rose Glass’ feature debut “Saint Maud,” you know she’s fully capable of telling an audacious, unsettling tale. This trend continues with her sophomore effort “Love Lies Bleeding” (in theaters beginning Friday, March 15).
It’s 1989 in Bumfuck, New Mexico. Lou (Kristen Stewart) is managing a gym owned by her estranged father Lou Sr. (Ed Harris, looking like the Crypt Keeper and almost as entertaining). Lou Sr. is a psychotic, scumbag with irons in a lot of fires – he also owns an arms range where he employs his mulleted, pornstached, ne’er-do-well son-in-law JJ (Dave Franco) where they run guns and has the cops in the form of Officer Mike (David DeLao) under his thumb.
Lou has an admirer in the form of local stoner Daisy (the hilarious Anna Baryshnikov), but she only has eyes for Jackie (former Carmel, Ind. police officer-turned-actress Katy O’Brian – listen to my colleague Christopher Lloyd’s interview with her from last year here), an Oklahoma drifter who works out at Lou’s gym with aspirations of becoming a professional bodybuilder.
Lou would love to skip town with Jackie, but feels the need to stay in their small burg so she can protect her sister Beth (Jena Malone, reteaming with Harris for a “Stepmom” reunion I didn’t know I wanted or needed) from JJ who treats her like a punching bag.
Tensions rise and a jaw-dropping act of violence occurs ensnaring Lou and Jackie in the former’s sordid familial business.
“Love Lies Bleeding” reminded me a bit of the Coen brothers’ “Blood Simple” and Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain” (the presence of Harris and all the ‘roids hammers this idea home). In spite of this, it’s a darkly comedic neo-noir that very much has its own voice and proves that Glass is no flash in the pan who adroitly avoids a sophomore slump.
The acting is pretty great across the board. Stewart has proven to be a talented actress outside of the world of “Twilight” and this is some of her best work to date. O’Brian skillfully switches between sensitive and scary and will be booking roles for years on the basis of her performance here. Harris and Franco’s characters are truly hissable, but they appear to be having a ball playing these bastards.
“Love Lies Bleeding” is arguably style over substance, but what style there is flashy and fun. I absolutely adore Clint Mansell’s synthy score. If the picture has a problem it’s that Glass gilded the lily in the late goings with an unneeded instance of magical realism. (The Coen brothers have been guilty of doing this too – “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and “A Serious Mind” spring to mind as do select seasons of the “Fargo” television series they executive produce.)
Speaking of the Coen brothers between Ethan Coen’s “Drive-Away Dolls” and this, 2024’s been a very good year for darkly comedic lesbian crime thrillers thus far. If y’all are open-minded and not squeamish you should definitely come watch Stewart and O’Brian smash.