While Kristen Stewart achieved mega-fame for duskShe has established herself as an extremely versatile talent, receiving an Oscar nomination for her film. SpencerOne of her recent successes is Love lies bleedingwhich attracted a lot of attention after its premiere at Sundance. But if you thought Love lies bleeding was just a bodybuilding movie or a love story, I finally watched it and it’s much wilder.
Love lies bleedingThe trailer showcased the drama’s love story, but also teased that something stranger was about to happen. With the price of the film’s digital rental on Amazon being reduced, I was finally able to stream the project from the comfort of my own home. And I had no idea how bizarre and supernatural the project would become.
Love lies bleeding could have worked as a straightforward crime drama. Kristen Stewart’s protagonist Lou meets bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) and gives her a place to stay and steroids for her upcoming competition in Vegas. But the drugs make her more aggressive and she eventually takes revenge for Lou’s sister and kills her brother-in-law JJ (Dave Franco).
This story is definitely exciting enough to stand on its own, but Love lies bleedingThe end of The Last Man takes the story in a supernatural direction. As Jackie works out on steroids, her muscles suddenly grow in a rapid and disturbing way. She looks like she’s practically bursting out of her skin, adding an unsettling tension that builds throughout the film’s brisk 104 minutes.
The story of Jackie’s steroid use is definitely disturbing, thanks in part to the expert editing and unsettling score. Love lies bleeding. But what I definitely didn’t expect was her growing into a real giant in the film’s explosive third act. When it looked like Lou was going to be killed by her father (Ed Harris), the giant Jackie, who grew thanks to her steroid use, saves the day and restrains him.
It’s in this scene that the film really breaks away from reality and becomes a project outside of genre concepts. But after everything we’ve seen in the film so far, the audience just has to accept this. Jackie isn’t imagining she’s huge, she actually is. And as she eventually becomes human-sized and drives off with Lou, we wonder if taking steroids will give her this superpower forever.
For all these reasons Love lies bleeding has quickly become one of my favorite films of the year. Although I wanted to see Kristen Stewart in an interesting queer role, the film had more to offer than I could have known.
Love Lies Bleeding is available to rent or purchase digitally now. Check the 2025 release dates to plan your cinema visit next year.
