Love Lies Bleeding

 

“I prefer to know my own strength.”

Sweaty, sexy and steroidal, Love Lies Bleeding is a pulsating neo-noir erotic thriller full of violence, vengeance and venom that provides ample opportunity for Katy O’Brien and Kristen Stewart to mesmerise with plenty of love, lies, and bleeding in tow. 

Discussion Points:

Rose Glass is now 2/2. The Saint Maud director returns with a completely different film, that still descends into some darkly obsessive and violent places while navigating complex desire and mental detachment. Kristen Stewart is strong, but Katy O’Brien is stronger. This is her movie. She steals every scene, with such impressive presence and charisma. Her roid rage is terrifying, and her inner struggle heartbreaking. Ed Harris is terrifying as a gun-runner determined to let nothing stand in his way. It’s a sweaty and sexy queer crime neo-noir thriller that takes a lot of notes from Cronenberg and Winding Refn. Clint Mansell’s pulsing electronic score is perfectly utilised, and the films dark, saturated colours craft some truly memorable visuals. Unfortunately, the last third feels off. The writing dips, the dialogue becomes too hammy, and a few ambitious creative decisions don’t full pay off and undercut the tone and there are other aspects I feel would’ve worked better with more ambiguity. Overall, still a searing and violent crime thriller with fantastic performances, and some brutal moments and heartbreaking moments.