It is like this, violent and inevitable, that love sews the life of Jackie (Katy O’Brian) with the irascible Lou (Kristen Stewart). Responsible for a gym in one of those cities lost in the forgotten corners of the United States, Lou brings with her considerable emotional baggage – the young woman shares dangerous secrets with her father (Ed Harris) and carries the burden of defending her sister (Jena Malone) from her abusive husband. (Dave Franco).
The arrival of Jackie, a nomad on his way to a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas, is the fuel that feeds the fire. They are two people swallowed into the abyss by the weight of their own sins. Even so, a vibrant and defiant feeling explodes between them, which can both free them from a crooked life and accelerate their encounter with a tragic destiny.
In her second film, after her surprising debut with 2020’s “Saint Maud”, Rose Glass defines her style and displays firmness in using a familiar structure to explore deeper paths of the human condition. “Love Lies Bleeding” flirts with the western, follows the path of neo noir, goes from thriller to horror, alternating the rawness of its setting with a fantastic and surreal touch that illustrates the confusion of its protagonists.
Despite potentially conflicting elements, the film does not focus on the murder plot(s), much less on the family chaos that we gradually discover contaminating Lou’s every attitude. Without losing focus, “O Amor Bleeds” overflows with the urgency of an impossible love, the electric and hypnotic passion that threatens to surpass the limits of the screen, seeking new places to rest.
Maintaining the solidity of this structure is the generous exchange between Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian. In roles that could easily slip into caricature, the two actresses construct intense characters that do not hesitate to highlight their fragility. This surrender translates into an intimacy so potent that we almost feel ashamed to be such intrusive observers.
