Love Lies Bleeding

In cinemas now

If Rose Glass’ 2019 debut Saint Maud hinted at the emergence of a new auteur, then Love Lies Bleeding affirms that notion via an engrossing and blood-soaked slice of neo-noir. Set during the dying embers of the 1980s, Glass and Weronika Tofilska’s screenplay follows Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian’s star-crossed lovers and their attempts to evade the clutches of Ed Harris’ grimy (and wildly coiffured) crime boss.

Thanks in no small part to Ben Fordesman’s cinematography and Clint Mansell’s synth-heavy score, the film perfectly embodies the era in which it is set, with the confines of its rural backdrop effectively operating as a character in its own right. Nonetheless, if this small corner of New Mexico is where dreams come to die, O’Brian’s wide-eyed bodybuilder doesn’t know it, even as she becomes more and more entangled in her spouse’s family drama. Indeed, despite this being her maiden leading role, O’Brian is arguably the MVP of Love Lies Bleeding on account of a performance that manages to be both physically imposing and hopelessly vulnerable.

With Stewart also in dependably excellent fettle, the ingredients are there for one of the sleeper hits of 2024 and a seamless continuation of Glass’ burgeoning directorial career. Comparisons with Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise would not be misplaced, but this is a feature that quickly outgrows its influences and assumes its own form as a queer romance that is both hopeful and unapologetically violent. Put simply, it’s a riot.