Love Lies Bleeding review: Kristen Stewart lives up to internet hype

British filmmaker Rose Glass’ follow up to the adored 2019 horror Saint Maud fits neatly into the modern sub-genre of “an A24 Movie”. The independent studio has gained a reputation for challenging, aesthetically powerful dramas, and crime thriller Love Lies Bleeding certainly fits that description.

Set in the late 80s, Katy O’Brien (The Mandalorian) stars as Jackie, a promising bodybuilder drifting her way to Vegas for a big content. She picks up a job at a small-town shooting range run by shady crime lord Lou Sr (Ed Harris), and catches the eye of his daughter, gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart). The pair fall passionately in love, before an incident involving Lou’s abusive brother-in-law (Dave Franco) has the pair struggling to evade both the police and Lous Sr’s suspicions.

Love Lies Bleeding caused a great deal of buzz when the trailer debuted, Glass builds on her reputation as a distinctive filmmaking voice with a scuzzy, engrossing film. Simply making a Queer Bonnie and Clyde would have been the easy route, but there is a lot more going on in an intriguing story that blurs the lines in terms of who’s good and bad. While it is sexy in parts, this isn’t made for titillation, with the camera gliding over O’Brien’s muscular body both as an act of adoration and a display of power.

If it wasn’t clear that Stewart wanted to set fire to her Twilight-led image, this leaves you in no doubt. As Lou, she’s a misfit who flirts with Jackie by offering steroids and has a surprisingly amount of knowledge regarding corpse disposal. She’s paired excellently with O’Brien, playing the type of character that women don’t often get to play. Jackie is loving and driven, but also a bit of an oaf, thinking with her fists more often than not. With tinted glasses and an epic Hulk Hogan skullet, Harris is chilling as the villain who, for the most part, hasn’t actually done anything wrong. Yet, his presence is a constant threat that opens up Glass’ grimy world, filled with corrupt locals and orange-teethed stalkers (Anna Baryshnikov, in a small but unsettling support role).

Love Lies Bleeding has a couple of moments of excess, namely some hallucination scenes that feel awkward in an otherwise gritty film. However, this caper lives up to the internet hype, cementing its two stars as cult heroes, and confirming its director as an exciting talent.

Love Lies Bleeding is in cinemas from 3^rd May