DARLING GUESS WHO’S BACK FROM JAIL?
A Love Lies Bleeding review
This whole movie is the epitome of the meme “Be Gay. Do Crime.” I was scared. I was turned on. I was DECEASED! By the time I left the theater, I was ready to go out and sexily kill some dudes. It’s a horny fever dream, deliciously filthy and unapologetically gay.
Love Lies Bleeding is a neo-noir erotic thriller set in the 80s bodybuilding world. Kristen Stewart stars as small town dykey gym manager Lou who falls in love with the new girl in town, a bodybuilder named Jackie (Katy O’Brian). In a tale as old as time, they immediately U-Haul it and become life partners in crime. With the help of Lou’s covert supply of steroids, Jackie trains for a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas. As Jackie finds herself involved in her new girlfriend’s shady family, Lou’s dark past threatens to upend their relationship. Lesbian Chaos ensues.
Making a movie about a female bodybuilder is writer/director Rose Glass’s tongue-in-cheek response to rote questions about “strong female characters.” Co-written by Weronika Tofilska, it’s an apt subject for exploring the body as it relates to gender and sexuality. Love Lies Bleeding is as much about the sensual pleasures of the flesh as well as the pain. Naturally, this film is also very much a surrealist body horror. Even as a jaded horror aficionado, there are some gnarly scenes that took my breath away. The surrealism, especially the ending may polarize some viewers. Personally, I respect a film that takes big swings and this one stuck the landing for me.
Also this movie is so funny. I found myself cracking up during some pretty depraved violence. Jackie and Lou’s murderous devotion to each other is a comical exaggeration of stereotypical lesbian relationships. Not to mention the hair is hilarious, from Dave Franco’s mullet to Jena Malone’s ridiculous wig. Some line deliveries had me howling. Since watching it together, my sister and I have been screaming “LOVE YOU SIS” at each other.
I can confirm the sex scenes are HOT. Stewart put that mullet to work, honey! The chemistry between her and O’Brian is electric. What makes them sexy is the specificity of queer sex, especially in the dialogue. It’s refreshing to watch two gender nonconforming women get each other off without catering to the male gaze. There is zero interest in making them palatable for cis, het men and the movie is all the better for it. According to some of the gays on Twitter, some audiences laughed during the sex scenes. And another guy was arrested for jerking off at one theater. So I guess people still don’t know how to behave in public. Thankfully everyone in our screening kept it in their pants.
Jackie and Lou’s relationship is so compelling that I wish I could’ve seen more of them together onscreen. I also felt there was a missed opportunity to touch on race. Aside from O’Brian, who delivers a breakout performance, the cast is almost entirely white.
Love Lies Bleeding is a fun, pulpy addition to the erotic thriller genre. Queer women are allowed to be messy and nasty as hell. It’s as fast paced as it is bloody. Contrary to the discourse about the dearth of sex in contemporary cinema, this absolutely FUCKS. Glass is a freak on a leash, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.