Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
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The story
In a rural New Mexican town in 1989, reclusive gym manager Lou navigates complex relationships with her sister, her sister's husband, and a flirtatious friend. Her life is disrupted when she is approached by FBI agents seeking information regarding her estranged father, a businessman with criminal ties. Shortly after, Lou meets Jackie, a bisexual bodybuilder staying in town for a competition. Lou offers Jackie steroids to enhance her training, and the two begin a relationship. However, as Jackie's steroid use intensifies, the pair finds themselves increasingly pulled into the dangerous orbit of Lou's father's criminal activities and the violent consequences of his past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1989 New Mexico, Lou, a reclusive gym manager, enters a relationship with Jackie, a bodybuilder using steroids. Their bond is tested when Lou's estranged father, Lou Sr., a man with criminal ties, becomes involved in their lives. After a confrontation with Lou's sister's abusive husband, JJ, Jackie kills him in a steroid-fueled rage. Lou helps hide the body, and the two become complicit in a cover-up. The situation escalates when a friend, Daisy, discovers their secret and blackmails Lou. Following a series of violent events, including the murder of Daisy by order of Lou Sr., Lou and Jackie are forced to navigate a deadly game of survival against Lou Sr.'s men. Ultimately, Lou confronts her father, rescues Jackie, and they flee together, while Lou deals with the final remains of their shared secrets.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rose Glass
- Writers
- Rose Glass · writer; Weronika Tofilska · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kristen Stewart · Lou; Katy O'Brian · Jackie; Jena Malone · Beth; Anna Baryshnikov · Daisy; Dave Franco · JJ; Ed Harris · Lou Sr.
- Genres
- romantic thriller; crime thriller
- Themes
- domestic violence; drug use; dysfunctional families; organized crime
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; noir
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; bodybuilding; lesbian; bisexual
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 77 · scale: 100 · review count: 53; PostTrak · score: 78%
- Awards and nominations
- Top Ten Independent Films of 2024 · National Board of Review · 2024 · win
- Production trivia
- It is the second film to be directed by English filmmaker Rose Glass.; Kristen Stewart's casting was confirmed in April after she expressed interest in the director's previous work.; Katy O'Brian had to audition for her first leading role six times.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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