Love Lies Bleeding is Kristen Stewart's latest film, a queer romance thriller that's set to be a conversation starter when it comes out later this spring.
With Life of Maud director Rose Glass at the helm, and co-starring rising star Katy O'Brian, this is an action-packed film that depicts the love affair between gym manager, Lou, and Jackie (Katy O'Brian), “an ambitious bodybuilder”. The romance “ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family,” according to the film's synopsis.
Thankfully, we're far on from a time when a film featuring a queer romance is a story in and of itself. That's a point that Stewart herself drove home in an interview during a press conference at the Berlin Film Festival last month.
She said: “I think we can’t keep doing that thing where we tell everyone how to feel and sort of pat each other on the back and receive brownie points for providing space for marginalised voices, and only in the capacity that they are allowed to speak about that alone. “I think the era of queer films being so pointedly only that is done, it’s over,” she continued.
So what do we need to know about this hot upcoming release, which straddles the genres of romance and thriller? Well…
Who stars in Love Lies Bleeding?
As mentioned, Kristen Stewart, celebrated for everything from the Twilight saga to her Oscar-nominated performance in 2021's biographical drama Spencer, is at the helm. There's also rising star Katy O'Brian, who plays her bodybuilder love interest. Fun fact: while O'Brian, 35, has landed some major parts in her career, most prominently as Elia Kane in The Mandalorian, she only got into acting eight years ago in 2016 – after a former career as a police officer and personal trainer. She's also competed in body-building competitions – which no doubt feeds into her role here.
She has abandoned the heterosexual constraints that once defined her career.
Ed Harris (Apollo 13, The Truman Show) is Lou's ganger father; Lou Sr. Dave Franco, brother of James, stars as Lou's unsavoury brother-in-law JJ, who abuses Lou's sister, Beth, played by Jena Malone.
When is it out?
Love Lies Bleeding is already out in the US – but there's still a little more time to wait on this side of the pond. Love Lies Bleeding will be out in UK cinemas on 3 May 2024. It is currently unknown when it will be available to watch on streaming platforms.
Is there a trailer?
You bet there is. Released last December, the Love Lies Bleeding trailer delivers two minutes and 21 seconds of pure thriller. Within the opening ten seconds, we see Stewart's character Lou being interrogated by police about her father, interspersed with cutaways to Lou Sr loading and then firing a gun.
Soundtracked to Galanki's Runaway (U & I), we then see a montage of yellow Marigolded hands clearing up bloodied floors; gunshots; car chases, a rolled up rug (presumably with a body inside it) and furious physical fights. That, plus steamy sex scenes between Jackie and Lou.
What's the plot?
The action begins with Girl meets Girl: a Meet Cute that takes place in the bodybuilding gym owned by Lou's dad (and managed by Lou). It's a chemistry-packed romance made complicated by Lou's criminal family.
Jackie, who begins the action with the dream of competing in a Las Vegas bodybuilding competition, gets a little more than she bargained for through her romance with Lou. As the trailer suggests, she quickly becomes embroiled with Lou's family, asking her father for a job.
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There's also a side plot involving Beth's abusive treatment at the hands of husband JJ, which spurs Jackie and Lou into a coordinated revenge.
Thematically, the clue's in the name: there's a lot of love and blood promised in the trailer. What you might not expect is, according to a review in The Atlantic, a tinge of “paranormal” and “fantasy”.
Love Lies Bleeding will be out in UK cinemas from 3 May 2024.
