''Love Lies Bleeding'' is a 2024

neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...

romantic thriller A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres. A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

film directed by

Rose Glass Rose Glass is an English film director and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut with the 2019 psychological horror film ''Saint Maud'', which was nominated for two awards at the 74th British Academy Film Awards. In 2020, Glass was name ...

from a screenplay she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska, and starring

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2012, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Acad ...

Katy O'Brian Katy M. O'Brian (born February 12, 1989) is an American actress, writer, and martial artist. She is best known for her roles as Jentorra in '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'', George in Syfy's zombie show ''Z Nation'', Major Sarah Grey in ...

Jena Malone Jena Laine Malone (; born November 21, 1984) is an American actress, musician, and photographer. Known for her roles in both independent films and mainstream blockbuster features, she has received numerous accolades, including nominations for a ...

Anna Baryshnikov Anna Katerina Baryshnikov (born May 22, 1992) is an American actress. She had her breakout role as Sandy in the 2016 film '' Manchester by the Sea'' and was a series regular in the CBS sitcom '' Superior Donuts'' first season. From 2019 to 2021, ...

Dave Franco David John Franco (born June 12, 1985) is an American actor. He began his career with small roles in films such as '' Superbad'' (2007) and '' Charlie St. Cloud'' (2010). Following a starring role in the ninth season of the comedy series '' Scr ...

, and

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), ''The Truman Show'' (1998), ''Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award n ...

. It is an international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States. Set in 1989, the film's plot follows the

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

relationship between a reclusive gym manager, who is part of a crime family, and an ambitious bodybuilder who gets wrapped up in organized crime. ''Love Lies Bleeding'' premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on January 20, 2024. It was released theatrically in the United States by

A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Pr ...

on March 8, 2024, and in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate UK on May 3, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In a rural New Mexican town in 1989, reclusive gym manager Lou (

) manages relationships with her sister Beth (

), Beth's husband JJ (

), and past fling Daisy (

). One night while at the gym, Lou is approached by FBI agents in search of information about Lou’s estranged father Lou Sr. (

) and his criminal ties. Shortly after, Lou meets Jackie (

), a bodybuilder staying in town while preparing for a competition in Las Vegas. Lou offers Jackie steroids to enhance her training and though she initially refuses, Jackie agrees. Jackie and Lou have sex, and Jackie asks Lou if she can live with her temporarily. Lou agrees, and she and Jackie fall in love over the course of the following weeks, all while Jackie uses increasingly high doses of steroids during her training. Lou and Jackie attend an awkward dinner with Beth and JJ, during which Lou threatens JJ for his abusive behavior towards Beth. In retaliation, JJ reveals he and Jackie had sex during her first night in town in exchange for a waitressing position at Lou Sr.’s gun range. Lou confronts Jackie on their drive home, asking her why she had sex with a man and Jackie revealing that she "likes both", after arguing a bit more Jackie leaves the car in a rage. Lou hurriedly ushers Jackie back into the car after noticing two FBI agents trailing her car. The following morning, Lou receives news that Beth has been hospitalized due to abuse inflicted by JJ. While at the hospital, Lou encounters Lou Sr. who promises to protect Beth and deal with JJ. Unable to contain her rage due to steroid use, Jackie breaks into JJ and Beth’s home and brutally beats him to death. A distressed Lou arrives at the scene and admits that she did not actually want JJ dead. The two drive his corpse and car into a ravine, revealed to be the same ravine where Lou formerly helped her father kill his business rivals and dispose of their bodies. On their way to the ravine, Lou's friend Daisy, who is infatuated with her, spots them and notices Jackie driving Lou's truck. The next day, Lou returns to JJ and Beth's home to clean up evidence of the murder while Jackie continues her steroid use, growing more agitated. During an argument, Jackie wounds Lou then leaves and hitchhikes to Las Vegas. During the bodybuilding competition, Jackie hallucinates vomiting a fully grown Lou. This is caused by steroid-induced psychosis and hearing other contestants comment about her weight. In reality, Jackie has vomited on the floor; then, in her psychosis, she assaults another contestant which lands her in jail. Meanwhile, armed with knowledge of Lou and Jackie's involvement with JJ's murder, Daisy blackmails Lou into a relationship with her. Lou Sr. bails out Jackie and coerces her to kill Daisy, the sole witness to the murder, with a suppressed pistol. Lou and Daisy are arriving at Lou's apartment when Jackie appears and shoots Daisy from behind. In a state of panic, Jackie returns to Lou Sr., only to be knocked unconscious. Lou Sr. calls Lou and tells her that he has arranged for Jackie to go to prison for double homicide, but Lou threatens to expose his operation if he sets Jackie up, causing him to hang up in a rage. As Lou is cleaning up Daisy's body, she is attacked by Officer Mike, a police officer on Lou Sr.'s payroll, whom she manages to fatally shoot. Realizing her father aims to kill her, Lou bludgeons the officer with a gun and makes her way to Lou Sr.'s manor, where she encounters Beth. Beth has learned about Lou's involvement with JJ's death and denounces Lou, who accepts it. Lou then forces Beth to tell her Jackie's location. Lou frees Jackie and tells her to run, before being shot in the leg by Lou Sr. He tells Lou that her mother is not dead but left because of Lou Sr.'s criminal business and Lou helping him. Jackie arrives, having grown to a gigantic size due to the steroid use, and pins down Lou Sr. Lou shoves a gun into his mouth, but relents and leaves him for the police. Lou and Jackie drive off, stopping the next morning when Lou realizes that Daisy is still alive in the truck bed despite her near-fatal wound; she nonchalantly strangles Daisy to death and dumps her body in a nearby field while Jackie sleeps.

Cast

as Louise "Lou" Langston, a reclusive gym manager *

as Jaqueline "Jackie" Cleaver, a rising bodybuilder *

as Bethany "Beth" Langston, Lou's sister *

as Daisy, a woman who is obsessed with Lou *

as J.J., Beth's husband *

as Lou Langston Sr., Lou's estranged father

Production

''Love Lies Bleeding'' is a co-production between

and

Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, it ...

. It is the second film to be directed by English filmmaker

first mentioned her involvement in the film in March 2022, as she was a fan of Glass' previous work, ''

Saint Maud ''Saint Maud'' is a 2019 British psychological horror film written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature directorial debut. The story follows hospice nurse Maud (portrayed by Morfydd Clark), a recent convert to Roman Catholicism, who becomes ...

'' (2019); her casting was confirmed in April.

, and

joined the cast in June. O'Brian said in an interview that she had to audition for the part, her first leading role, six times.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, in June 2022. Production concluded by August 2022.

Release

''Love Lies Bleeding'' had its world premiere in the Midnight section at the

2024 Sundance Film Festival The 2024 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Official Sections U.S. Dramatic Competition World Cinema Dramatic Competition U.S. ...

on January 20, 2024, followed by its European premiere on February 18 at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in the Berlinale Special Gala section. The UK premiere was held at the

Glasgow Film Festival The Glasgow Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Glasgow, Scotland. The festival began in 2005. By 2015, the festival had seen audience figures top 40,000 for two consecutive years. 2008 2008's festival took place between 14–24 Feb ...

on February 28. The film was released on five screens in New York City and Los Angeles by

on March 8, 2024, before expanding wide on March 15.

Lionsgate UK Lionsgate UK (formerly Redbus Film Distribution, and briefly known as Helkon SK between 2001 and 2003) is the British subsidiary of the Canadian-American film company, Lionsgate. Founded in 1997 by Simon Franks and Zygi Kamasa, the company have ...

acquired the British distribution rights to the film in November 2023 and it was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2024.

Reception

Box office

''Love Lies Bleeding'' has grossed $8.3 million in the United States and Canada and $4.2 million in other territories. In its opening weekend the film made $276,618 from five theaters, a per-venue average of $55,324. Expanding to 1,362 theaters the following weekend, the film made $2.5 million, finishing sixth at the box office.

Critical response

Audiences polled by

PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film a ...

gave the film a 78% overall positive score with an average 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that the film, likely influenced by the works of

James M. Cain James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is widely regarded as a progenitor of the hardboiled school of American crime fiction. His novels ''The Postman Always Rings Twice ...

, Jim Thompson,

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

, and the

Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

, "For the most part... manages to transcend its influences enough to remain engaging; sometimes it does something even more interesting with its reference points... Glass borrows liberally but not mindlessly." Saffron Maeve, for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

,'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, writing that "''Love Lies Bleeding'' becomes increasingly convoluted ..But this narrative estrangement is grounded in intention".

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2020s American films 2020s British films 2020s English-language films 2020s romantic thriller films 2024 crime thriller films 2024 films 2024 independent films 2024 LGBT-related films 2024 romance films A24 (company) films American crime thriller films American independent films American LGBT-related films American romantic thriller films Bodybuilding films American black comedy films British black comedy films British crime thriller films British independent films British LGBT-related films British romantic thriller films Film4 Productions films Films about domestic violence Films about drugs Films about dysfunctional families Films about female bisexuality Films about murder Films scored by Clint Mansell Films set in 1989 Films set in New Mexico Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in New Mexico Lesbian-related films LGBT-related romantic thriller films LGBT-related sports films Lionsgate films Romantic crime films