2024 has been a pretty good year for the “be gay, do crimes” genre. We’ve already had Drive Away Dolls from Joel Coen, which you can check out here, and now we have Love Lies Bleeding from a director with one of the best names in the biz; Rose Glass. In 2019, Glass debuted with Saint Maud, a horror film about misplaced religious fanaticism that I happened to really enjoy. With this new film, Glass has sought to go bigger and badder this time around, with a much bigger budget, a cast of recognizable names, and ample amounts of eroticism.

Love Lies Bleeding is a grimy, sexy crime thriller set in the middle of nowhere, following the budding romance between an aspiring bodybuilder and a reclusive gym worker who comes from a nasty crime family. As the two girls draw closer, obsession, lust and revenge begin to cloud their relationship, which leads to blood spewing and teeth flying. This is a phenomenal follow-up for Rose Glass, who succeeds at capturing the dirty, sweaty world of the film, while crafting an incendiary narrative ready to explode at a moment’s notice. The chemistry between leads Kiersten Stewart and Katy O’Brian is electric and volatile, while the supporting cast includes great character work of low-lives and psychos. It’s bloody, it’s horny, it’s brimming with pulp, and it makes some bold storytelling choices that may drive a few people away, but I personally loved it.

The relationship between Stewart’s Lou and O’Brian’s Jackie is like gas to a fire; both are easily drawn together, but the results are explosive. Yet their developing romance feels genuine, both in their affections towards one another and the spontaneity of their union. I’d probably be chomping at the bit if I lived out in the middle of the desert too. There’s enough room for speculation in their relationship, wondering if they really love one another or just see the other as a means to an end. But you never deny the palpable attraction towards one another, and both women do a tremendous job at keeping it feeling authentic. This is a role certainly up Stewart’s alley as we’ve come to learn; rugged, anti-social, and looking like she hasn’t slept in days. Then there’s O’Brian, who I found to be absolutely magnetic. While the finer details of her backstory and motivations aren’t completely elaborated on, her physical performance is quite interesting. Her obsession with bodybuilding, no doubt stemmed from a desire to have the power to always have control of her life, gradually becomes more obsessive and pathological. Her “transformation” has her continue to push her limits to astonishing levels, and O’Brian shows she’s more than capable of achieving that. There’s even a bit of body horror to this, watching her muscles continue to swell and her veins crawl through her skin like worms. It’s a great representation of a volatile mindset that isn’t afraid to get a bit creative with its presentation. 

In the supporting performances we have Ed Harris as Lou’s criminal father, Lou Senior; a man whose terrifying actions are only outweighed by his more terrifying haircut. Harris is great at being intimidating as well as off-putting. Can’t trust a guy that obsessed with bugs. Other standouts include Dave Franco as abusive scumbag JJ and Anna Baryshnikov as obsessive lover Daisy. Everyone here is weird in their own way, encompassing an offbeat community that may only be possible thanks to the dusty and barren locale of the desert. This type of nowhere way of life is presented in a gritty, scummy way, set in the 90s during the height of D.A.R.E. ‘s war on drugs. The setting is surrounded by vices along with disembodied voices warning you of said vices, but the funny thing is that there’s way bigger things to worry about here than the odd cigarette. 

The film gets quite brutal at the times, heightened by the bleak and dirty environment surrounding it. I mentioned the elements of body horror here, and that goes beyond just building muscle. There are some grisly images you’ll be subjected to, which are made all the more disgusting by stellar practical effects. These moments are shocking no doubt, but the sicko in me does wish the film would have continued to push the envelope and take it further, because truthfully it feels like the film may have overplayed its hand early on. Yet the film still remains excruciatingly tense throughout as graves continue to be dug deeper and lifelines come and go in seconds. Sometimes the trail gets a bit murky, as character decisions occasionally don’t make the most sense in order to get from one point to another, but it really isn’t that egregious.

Not only will you find yourself biting your nails from stress, but you may find yourself biting your lip a bit, because honestly, the film is pretty hot. And I don’t really mean that in an exploitative, male-gazing kind of way, but as a compliment to the films’ authenticity when it comes to the more intimate and sometimes graphic moments. Sex sells, but there’s way more you can accomplish with it than just being something to ogle at, which I think the film succeeds at. There’s genuine romantic tension to this erotic thriller, as you find yourself guessing if the two leads can possibly make it work with everything working against them, as well as their own emotional hang-ups. It all feels fairly real and pairs great alongside the neo-noir elements of the film. It’s got it all; corpses at the bottom of a ditch, CIA snooping around murders right under their noses, and an endless supply of rugs to roll dead bodies in. It’s pulp cinema with it’s own dirty approach, and I love it.

A fun element that now seems consistent with Glass’ filmography is the way she plays with perspective and point of view, leaving you questioning the reality of what you just saw unfold. This was present in Saint Maud with a continuous descent into religious madness, and you can find similar tricks here with Jackie trying to become the biggest she can be. Which leads to the ending, the culmination of her journey in a way. It’s a big swing that may be too big for some people, taking them out of the fairly grounded world the rest of the film took place in. However, I got a kick out of it and what it represents, manifesting Jackie’s growth and protection of Lou in a pretty fun way. Like I said it might get too out there for some, but take it with an open mind at the least.

This was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Love Lies Bleeding is a phenomenal progression for Rose Glass as a director, continuing her streak of F-ed up self discovery, kind of in a similar vein as Cronenberg. The cast is rock solid, the technicals are both grimy yet stylish, and the story is just one bad decision after another in the best ways possible. March really is kicking off the return of good films to theaters, and I highly recommend you check this out. Just, for the benefit of everyone else, please keep it in your pants.

Rating

Protein Punch

So you wanna build muscle but don’t wanna shove a needle in your ass to get results. Well let me tell you brother, there’s no better way to get shredded by some good old fashioned protein. That’s where the Protein Punch comes in. This is a super simple cocktail to make and will give your body the protein it needs to become a genetic freak. This drink is made with rum, a little bit of sugar, protein shake, and the breakfast of champions, one whole egg. You might be saying “Brandon you dumb bastard you’re only supposed to use the egg white in a cocktail, not the whole egg!”. Well there’s plenty of cocktails out there that use whole eggs, like eggnog and what this drink is a riff on, the Flip cocktail. This drink is thick and creamy with no hint of egg to be found, but you’ll still get a welcome face full of rum and slight chocolate notes! So run to your hen house and grab the freshest egg you can find. It’s time to get physical.

Ingredients

• 1.5oz rum
• 1/2oz protein shake (dealer’s choice, I used a strawberry banana shake)
• 1tsp sugar
• 1 whole egg
• Dusting: Nutmeg

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake for 20 seconds.
2. Add ice to shaker and shake to chill.
3. Double strain into chilled coup glass.
4. Dust with nutmeg.