Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Love Lies Bleeding is a lesbian thriller about a gym manager, Louise “Lou” Langston (Kirsten Stewart), who gets romantically entangled with a body builder, Jackie Cleaver (Katie O’Brian).
Lou spends her days dealing with the day-to-day operations of the gym and fending off the advances of the annoyingly pleasant Daisy (Anna Baryshnikov). Meanwhile, Jackie, who is new in town, is having sex in a car with JJ (Dave Franco), Lou’s brother-in-law, in return for a job at Lou’s father’s (Ed Harris), establishment. With no place to live, Jackie spends her first night sleeping under the freeway.
One day Lou is approached by two FBI agents asking about her father and his connection with several missing people. Lou tells them she doesn’t talk to him, so they give her their card then leave.
Jackie walks into the gym, and Lou takes notice. Jackie and Lou start talking, then Lou takes Jackie home, where they have sex, and Jackie spends the night. The next day, Jackie tells Lou that she wants to compete in women’s bodybuilding and that she has no place to stay, so Lou lets her crash at her place.
While at the gym, Lou offers Jackie steroids to enhance her training. At first Jackie refuses, then has a change of heart and takes a small dose. And as they start dating, the steroid use increases.
Lou introduces her to JJ and her sister, Beth (Jena Malone). It’s obvious that JJ beats Beth, and during the meal Lou confronts JJ about the abuse. JJ reveals that he’d slept with Jackie in return for employment and suggests that Jackie is using her for a place to stay and free gym membership. Lou confronts Jackie about sleeping with JJ, and in the process mentions that Beth is the only reason she stays in town and that she would like to kill JJ for how he treats her sister.
The next day JJ beats Beth so bad that she ends up in the hospital. Jackie goes to the hospital with Lou. While there, Jackie becomes upset and leaves. She goes to confront JJ as her anger increases due to the steroid use. From here the story escalates, and the truth about Lou’s relationship with her father is revealed, as is Jackie’s true nature.
Some Thoughts:
Love Lies Bleeding is a superbly crafted film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The acting is great, as is the cinematography, story, and pacing. This movie will pull you in and not let you go until the very end.
Based on the styles, lack of cell phones, use of cassette tapes, and the fact that men don’t wear shirts in the gym, I would guess that Love Lies Bleeding takes place in the mid to late 1980s. The setting is New Mexico, and the dusty desert backdrop works well with this gritty tale of love, revenge, and betrayal. The film is as thrilling as it is beautiful.
I’m a sucker for a movie with kick-ass women, and Lou and Jackie fit the bill and more. These are people with secrets who will do anything to keep them hidden. O’Brian and Stewart have chemistry and give their all to breathe life into their edgy characters. And it works. Lou and Jackie are realistic and intriguing.
The film also has a great villain in Lou’s father, Lou Sr, and Harris plays him to the hilt. The scariest villains are those that are calm and calculating, and Lou Sr is just that. Although Harris gives a fine performance, it’s Stewart and O’Brian who take center stage and give this movie what it needs.
The Final Verdict:
Love Lies Bleeding is a thriller that veers very close to horror. Everything about it comes together for an entertaining journey full of unexpected twists and turns.