Rose Glass is a filmmaker who seems to delight in the uncomfortable. If you saw her debut Saint Maud, you know she has this uncanny ability to make your skin crawl while simultaneously making you lean closer to the screen. With Love Lies Bleeding, she traded the damp, gray isolation of the British coast for the scorched, neon-soaked dirt of 1980s New Mexico. It’s a massive pivot. Honestly, it’s one of those movies that feels like it was filmed through a layer of sweat and motor oil.
The film stars Kristen Stewart as Lou, a reclusive gym manager who lives a pretty bleak existence. She spends her days unblocking toilets and her nights avoiding her father, played by a terrifyingly mulleted Ed Harris. Then comes Jackie. Played by Katy O’Brian, Jackie is a drifter and an aspiring bodybuilder on her way to a competition in Las Vegas. When these two collide, the movie stops being a simple romance and mutates into something much more aggressive. It’s a thriller, sure. But it’s also a body-horror fever dream about the American Dream, domestic violence, and the literal side effects of steroids.
Why Love Lies Bleeding Isn't Your Average Indie Romance
People walked into theaters expecting a queer Thelma & Louise. They got something much weirder. The movie doesn't just depict muscle growth; it treats the human body like a ticking time bomb. Every time Jackie injects the "juice" Lou provides, the sound design goes into overdrive. You hear the internal creaking of fibers. You see the veins pulsing. It’s visceral. This isn't just a stylistic choice. It's a commentary on the lengths people go to for power when they've spent their whole lives feeling powerless.
The setting matters a lot here. 1989 New Mexico is a character in itself. It's a land of wide-open spaces that feels incredibly claustrophobic because of the local crime syndicates and the looming presence of Lou’s father, Lou Sr. He runs a shooting range that doubles as a hub for some very dark business. Ed Harris plays him with this menacing, quiet intensity—and some of the most distracting hair in cinematic history. He represents the old, stagnant rot of the desert, while Lou and Jackie represent a desperate, chaotic attempt to break free.
The Kristen Stewart Factor
We need to talk about Kristen Stewart’s performance. For years, people tried to box her into certain types of roles, but in Love Lies Bleeding, she feels completely unleashed. Lou is messy. She’s tired. She smokes too much. There’s a specific kind of "dirtbag" energy she brings to the role that makes the romance feel grounded even when the plot goes off the rails.
Stewart’s chemistry with Katy O’Brian is the engine of the movie. O’Brian, who actually has a background in martial arts and bodybuilding, brings a physical presence that few actors could mimic. She isn't just "playing" a bodybuilder; she is the spectacle. When she flexes, the camera lingers not out of attraction, but out of a sort of terrified awe. You’re waiting for her to snap. And eventually, she does.
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Breaking Down the Controversial Ending
If you’ve seen the film, you know the ending is the main thing people argue about. Without spoiling the exact mechanics for those who haven't caught it yet, let’s just say it takes a hard left turn into magical realism. Some critics hated it. They felt it broke the "rules" of the gritty noir world Glass had built.
I’d argue the opposite.
The movie is about the transformative, almost supernatural power of rage and love. By the time we reach the climax, the reality of the situation has become so bloated and extreme that a standard "realistic" ending would have felt like a letdown. Throughout the film, we see Jackie’s muscles literally swelling beyond human limits. The ending just takes that visual metaphor to its logical, albeit surreal, conclusion. It’s a bold move. It’s the kind of choice that separates a "good" movie from one that people are still talking about years later at 2:00 AM in a diner.
The Supporting Cast and the Cycle of Violence
Jena Malone and Dave Franco play Lou’s sister and brother-in-law, and they represent the tragic side of this story. Their subplot involves domestic abuse that is brutal and difficult to watch. It serves as the catalyst for the movie's descent into violence. When Jackie witnesses the aftermath of this abuse, her steroid-fueled brain decides to "fix" it. This sets off a chain reaction that involves the FBI, several murders, and a whole lot of cleaning up blood.
The film handles these themes with a heavy hand, which fits the 80s pulp aesthetic. It’s not trying to be a subtle social drama. It’s a "splatter-noir." It wants you to feel the impact of every punch.
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How Rose Glass Reinvents the Genre
Most neo-noirs are obsessed with being cool. They use shadows and jazz and fast-talking detectives. Rose Glass throws all of that out the window. Love Lies Bleeding is loud. It’s brightly lit by cheap neon and harsh desert sun. It uses sound as a weapon.
- The Soundscape: The score by Clint Mansell is incredible. It’s industrial and rhythmic, mimicking the sound of a heartbeat or a pumping iron.
- The Pacing: It starts slow, like a simmering pot, but the last 30 minutes are a relentless sprint.
- The Visuals: Cinematographer Ben Fordesman uses close-ups that feel uncomfortably intimate. You can practically smell the gym chalk and the stale cigarettes.
This is a film that refuses to be ignored. It’s messy and sometimes frustrating, but it’s undeniably original. It sits in that strange space where A24 movies often live—somewhere between high art and a midnight grindhouse flick.
Factual Production Details
For the film nerds, it’s worth noting that the movie was a co-production between A24 and Film4. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and immediately became one of the buzziest titles there. The script was co-written by Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska. They clearly spent a lot of time researching the bodybuilding subculture of the late 80s, specifically the era of "size at any cost."
The movie also serves as a reminder of how much of a powerhouse A24 has become in the mid-budget thriller space. They’re giving directors like Glass the resources to make movies that are too weird for major studios but too polished for the underground.
What Most People Miss About the Story
There’s a tendency to focus entirely on the "lesbian bodybuilder" aspect because it’s a striking image. But at its core, this is a story about inheritance. Lou is trying desperately not to be her father. She hates everything he stands for, yet she finds herself using the same violent tactics to protect the person she loves. It’s a cycle. The steroids are just a physical manifestation of that internal "swelling" of anger that Lou has been suppressing her whole life.
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Jackie, on the other hand, is the ultimate outsider. She has no roots, so she tries to build a "home" out of her own body. She thinks if she gets big enough, strong enough, and wins enough trophies, nobody can hurt her again. The tragedy is that her strength makes her a target for Lou Sr., who sees her as a tool rather than a person.
Moving Forward: How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re planning on watching (or re-watching) this movie, pay attention to the color red. Glass uses it strategically. It’s in the taillights, the blood, the gym equipment, and Jackie’s outfits. It’s a warning sign that the characters consistently ignore.
Actionable Steps for Film Enthusiasts:
- Watch "Saint Maud" first: If you want to understand Rose Glass's evolution, her first film provides the blueprint for how she handles body dysmorphia and obsession.
- Compare to "The Long Goodbye" or "Blood Simple": If you enjoy the neo-noir elements, seeing how Love Lies Bleeding subverts the tropes of these classics adds a lot of depth to the experience.
- Check out the soundtrack: Clint Mansell’s work here is top-tier. Listening to it separately highlights how much of the movie’s tension is built through audio rather than just dialogue.
- Look into the 1980s bodybuilding scene: Researching the "Golden Era" of bodybuilding and the rise of performance-enhancing drugs provides a lot of context for Jackie’s character arc and the pressures she feels.
The movie is a wild ride. It’s gross, it’s beautiful, and it’s deeply human. Whether you love the ending or hate it, you can’t deny that Rose Glass has a vision that is entirely her own. She’s not interested in making comfortable movies. She wants to make movies that leave a bruise.