Love Lies Bleeding - 💥💥

Director: Rose Glass 

Writer: Weronika Tofilska
Release Date: 3rd May 2024 

Hot Rating: 💥💥

Synopsis: Love Lies Bleeding follows the intense, tumultuous relationship of Lou (Kristen Stewart), a gym manager, and Jackie (Katy O'Brian), a competitive bodybuilder passing through town. Their initial spark ignites a passionate affair fueled by ambition, jealousy and a shared obsession with physical perfection. As Jackie's steroid use escalates, their bond spirals into a toxic obsession, blurring the lines between love, addiction, and self-destruction.

Review: Love Lies Bleeding is a visually arresting but ultimately hollow exploration of obsession and addiction. While there are moments of affecting imagery dealing with the body, its growth and mutilation, akin to the best of David Cronenberg, these elements feel too forthright, lacking the nuance to spark meaningful debate. Instead, they become gratuitous displays that shock rather than provoke thought Characters, too, feel like caricatures rather than real people. Undoubtedly, attention was paid to character development, Ed Harris's ghastly wig my personal favourite touch, however, I found the characters' selfish pursuits frustrating. Indeed, Stewart and O'Brian deliver committed performances, but their characters are so deeply uninteresting in their motivations that it's difficult to care about their downward spiral. While Love Lies Bleeding boasts an undeniable visual flair, its lack of emotional depth, unsympathetic characters and shock-value tactics make it a difficult and, ultimately, unrewarding watch.

Image: YouTube