Love Lies Bleeding

5/1/2024

There are few things worse in films than when a film tries too hard to be edgy. This fools some of the people some of the time. But...it also shows that the emperor really does have no clothes. Kristen Stewart plays Lou, a gym worker who develops a crush on a female bodybuilder named Jackie. They begin a sexual relationship. Lou's father, played by Ed Harris is the town thug, and her sister is repeatedly abused by her creepy brother-in-law JJ (Dave Franco). Violence erupts and soon everyone is scrambling to cover up a murder. The film starts out interesting enough as it builds the characters. By the second half it has begun spiraling as it shifts between so many tones that you don't know which ones to move with. A lot of unintentional laughs and head scratching get more frequent. By

5/4/2024

"Lou" (Kristen Stewart) runs a gym on the basis of being as obnoxious to the customers (mostly brain-dead males) as she can until one night she espies a new visitor. She assumes that "Jackie" (Katy O'Brian) has gone off with the boys for a beer, but a chance encounter afterwards in the car park makes it clear they are both on the same team. We (the audience) have met "Jackie" already and know she's looking for work. That comes via "JJ" (Dave Franco) who takes her to the shooting range owned by the long haired and hippy looking Ed Harris who gives her a job as a waitress. Quickly we discover that "JJ" is married to "Beth" (Jena Malone) who is the sister of "Lou" and both are the daughters of Ed Harris. "Lou", though, is a bit estranged from him and as the plot thickens we discover why. Also

7/17/2024

I absolutely adored the bold and audacious “Love Lies Bleeding,” director Rose Glass’ sordid story of romance, violence, and redemption. Combining a lesbian love story with a brawny thriller, this gritty, bloody, and brash film was one of my favorites to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Lou (Kristen Stewart), a reclusive gym worker who spends her days mopping floors, unclogging toilets, and laminating membership cards, is barely surviving her small-town existence. Her world transforms in an instant when the transient bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) crosses her path. Lou falls hard for those rock hard muscles, and she invites Jackie to move in with her. Ambitious to a fault, Jackie begins training for a competition in Las Vegas (and starts injecting steroids at the encou