The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Love Lies Bleeding (15)
London-born filmmaker Rose Glass made an auspicious feature directorial debut in 2020 with Saint Maud, a riveting portrait of religious fervour and sexual awakening set against the brightly lit arcades of a nameless British seaside resort.
For her follow-up, Glass treks across the Atlantic to a remote town in New Mexico to conjure an erotically charged 1980sset thriller co-written by Weronika Tofilska that recalls the Coen brothers’ early crime capers.
Desire and deceit are sweat-drenched bedfellows in Love Lies Bleeding, which stokes discomfort with Ben Fordesman’s moody cinematography and composer Clint Mansell’s insistent, propulsive score.
Kristen Stewart delivers a fearless performance as the emotionally scarred product of a violent upbringing, who craves escape from her unedifying reality.
She begins Glass’s picture unclogging a blocked toilet and cleans up far bigger and bloodier messes as emotions spiral out of control.
Bold stylistic flourishes connected to the bulging physicality of Katy O’brian’s steroid-fuelled bodybuilder distinguish a fraught second half that feels like a runaway train poised to derail.
It’s to Glass’s credit that the wheels don’t come off entirely as swooning sweethearts become accomplices to diabolical deeds under the noses of FBI agents.
Credulity lies badly wounded next to love.
Socially awkward gym manager Lou Langston (Stewart) is estranged from her controlling father Lou Sr (Ed Harris), owner of the local shooting range.
The FBI suspects the patriarch murdered his wife and needs Lou to provide the damning testimony.
Instead, she focuses on the gym and politely rebuffs amorous advances from a girl named Daisy (Anna Baryshnikov).
Lou’s gaze is drawn to nomadic newcomer Jackie Cleaver (O’brian), who is en route to a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas.
Flirtation between the women kindles an allconsuming romance and Lou offers Jackie steroids to finesse her impressive physique ahead of her moment in the spotlight.
Jackie becomes emotionally unstable from drug abuse and Lou’s physically violent brotherin-law JJ (Dave Franco) is one potential outlet for the simmering rage.
Eventually, Jackie loses control and Lou becomes a willing accomplice to avoid a first date with the electric chair.
“They’re gonna fry us for this!” she nervously informs Jackie.
Love Lies Bleeding puts Lou and Jackie through the wringer, punctuated by sex scenes that leave nothing to a febrile imagination and dramatically necessary explosions of gore.
Stewart and O’brian are a dynamic pairing and we root for the lovers as careless actions stack the odds heavily against them.
Sporting a fine mullet, Harris chews scenery as he coolly eliminates loose ends, even if that means pulling a trigger close to home.
The script runs out of steam as Jackie comes down from her steroidintoxicated high, but we already feel a deeply satisfying burn.