Love Lies Bleeding Movie Review (2024)

A gritty and wild thriller with a hint of comedy, Love Lies Bleeding is about a female bodybuilder and the woman who loves her, who affect each other’s worlds in unforeseeable ways.

There are some movies that you have to marinate on after you’ve watched them. While the movie was on, there was so much coming at you that you actually have to take a little time to process what you watched. Initial impressions of a film are incredibly important, but sometimes you know that there are much deeper themes from the writer and director, so you want to do your due diligence.

Love Lies Bleeding is a rugged film about Lou, a quiet female gym owner, who becomes intrigued with new town arrival, Jackie, a hopeful bodybuilder. Lou’s father, Lou Sr. (who Lou doesn’t speak to), runs the local gun range, employs Jackie (after a sexual favor for an employee), and seemingly has criminal ties. Younger Lou and Jackie develop an intense romantic relationship and do things that neither of them ever thought could happen.

First things first – this movie is full of fairly graphic sex scenes and violence. It is strange and odd and quite the wild ride. But it is also a drama, a thriller, and a pitch black comedy. There are moments that will have you shaking your head with your eyes wide in disbelief and others that feel like they’re on the verge of funny, but don’t quite make it. Or do they?

Lou is a woman whose father named her after himself, so she is Lou Jr. When you meet Lou Sr., his hair is long, his face craggly, his walking gait odd, and he seems as if he’s maintained his look from the sixties. Lou Jr., whose only emotional investment in the world has been her domestically abused sister (until Jackie came along), is similar in her lack of physical care for herself.

Because Lou runs the gym and knows that Jackie aspires to be a competitive bodybuilder, steroids become a big part of the story. Side effects of taking too many steroids include both rage and hallucinations, and both have a heavy place in this movie. This is a huge element in the toxicity between the two women, both literally and figuratively.

The cinematography is gorgeous, with frequent uses of the color red (in shoes, lettering, men’s nipples, and the street, to name a few) and everything is gritty and dirty, down to the style of the filming at times. There are scenes that are reminiscent of childbirth and The Incredible Hulk, and there is lots of blood to clean up at various crime scenes.

Kristin Stewart, Katy O Brian, and Ed Harris star, and all do a fantastic job. I do have a little pet peeve with Kristin Stewart when she does her little gasp and holds her breath when she’s frustrated or excited because it reminds me of Bella Swan in Twilight and it takes me out of the movie I’m watching. She does this a few times, but by about the midway point, she is so far into Lou’s character that I was able to forget about the times it happened earlier.

This film is a lot, so don’t go into it thinking that you’re in for an easy few hours. Love Lies Bleeding is rough and in-your-face, but also incredibly strange and out there. It has grown on me quite a bit the more that I’ve marinated on it. Give it a shot, it’s an experience.

Runtime: 103 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Available: On Max, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms