“Love Lies Bleeding” Pins Your Face Down in Its Madness

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“Love Lies Bleeding” Plot Summary

As egg yolk drips on cigarette butts, “Love Lies Bleeding” rewires viewers’ brains about what’s masculine and feminine, what makes you horny, and what fills you with dread. Rose Glass’ pulp fiction thriller pays tribute to the ‘80s grindhouse aesthetic while creating something new and pulse-rising for today. 

Set in a desert town in 1989, “Love Lies Bleeding” introduces us to Lou (played by tank-topped and mulleted Kristen Stewart). Lou is a manager at her dad’s gym and spends her days wiping floors and toilets. Lou is quiet and mainly keeps to herself until she meets Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a muscle-builder who is making her way to Vegas but badly needs a job. Lou Sr. (Ed Harris) hires Jackie to work at his gun range. But when Lou meets Jackie, the two quickly fall for each other in a passionate and reckless romance. 

Lou and Jackie spend their time training, having sex, and injecting Jackie with steroids. Their commitment to each other reaches strange and dangerous heights when Lou’s sister Beth (Jena Malone) suffers from an abusive relationship. Lou wants to protect Beth, and Jackie would do anything for Lou. The entanglement of love and business leads to a violent point of no return. Lou and Jackie may truly love each other, but can they trust each other and the people surrounding them?

Big emotions and big muscles are on full display in “Love Lies Bleeding.” The aptly titled crime romance follows in the footsteps of other star-crossed lovers and stays imaginative with how it conveys its own sensational story. “Love Lies Bleeding” stays gender-bending, boundary-pushing, and apologetic for how much it flexes on and off screen. 

Content Information

“Love Lies Bleeding” is rated R due to cursing, some graphic violence, including beatings and gunshots, and graphic sexual content, including nudity.

Other Noteworthy Information

1. Kristen Stewart’s Rolling Stone cover to promote “Love Lies Bleeding” was received as controversial for its queer sexuality. 

“Love Lies Bleeding” General Information

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Lou (Kristen Stewart)

Lou is a reserved woman who chooses to keep to herself and do the dirty work at her father’s gym. But a budding romance with Jackie leads Lou to slowly come out of her shell and stick up for herself and others.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Twilight.”

Jackie (Katy O’Brian)

Jackie is a newcomer to town and an aspiring bodybuilder. Her romance with Lou leads to a complicated business with Lou’s father, and her steroid addiction quickly makes her spiral.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Z Nation.”

J.J. (Dave Franco)

J.J. is an abusive man who cheats and attacks his wife, Beth. J.J. has little remorse for his actions and seems to spend his days at the shooting range. 

• The actor is also known for their role in “Neighbors.”

Beth (Jena Malone)

Beth is Lou’s even more quiet and submissive sister. She takes J.J.’s abuse without objection.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Donnie Darko.”

Lou Sr. (Ed Harris)

Lou Sr. owns and operates the gym, as well as employs and promotes Jackie as a prized bodybuilder. While he cares for his daughters, he cares even more about his business and has maintained it through illegal and lethal means.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Westworld.”

“Love Lies Bleeding” Review

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

Let us know your thoughts in the comments:

1.  What did you think of “Love Lies Bleeding?” 

Highlights

A Visual Challenge to Gender Cliches

Within the first 20 minutes of “Love Lies Bleeding,” Lou performs oral sex on Jackie, and we see Jackie’s bicep vein pulse. The score leans heavily on the sounds of machinery as these women work out together, fight together, and strut across the screen. The imagery parodies ‘80s macho action films while still remaining a queer love story. The story hits fast with sex and blood in a way audiences expect from male-driven action movies. “Love Lies Bleeding” pins your face down in its violence from the unsettling start to the surreal finish. 

A Bonkers Pulp Story That Works on Page and Screen

If I were to write out the narrative story in “Love Lies Bleeding,” it can work just as well on page as it does on screen. The poster refers to the cheap paperback crime novels you’d find in a bookstore. The eroticism and violence are a jumbled mess of sexy, grimy, and dangerous all at once. This is a midnight movie that reaches sensational heights in plot and muscle, and it tells its story with a clear and confident vision. 

Good If You Like

• A24 movies, surreal thrillers, queer stories, and pulp fiction.

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

1. Bottoms
2. Blue Jean
3. Blue is the Warmest Color

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

“Love Lies Bleeding” Pins Your Face Down in Its Madness

Overall

The aptly titled crime romance follows in the footsteps of other star-crossed lovers and stays imaginative with how it conveys its own sensational story. “Love Lies Bleeding” stays gender-bending, boundary-pushing, and apologetic for how much it flexes on and off screen. 

Highlights

A Visual Challenge to Gender Cliches

A Bonkers Pulp Story That Works on Page and Screen

Disputable

82

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