Kristen Stewart returns to her indie stomping grounds as a gym manager named Lou, showcasing a very lackluster life servicing a clogged toilet in our unvarnished introduction to her latest character. Director Ross Glass follows up her brilliant debut, Saint Maud, with this brutal character-driven exploration of sexuality, love, violence, and familial conflict in small town America.
Lou resides in a dried up, less-than-middle-class American town. Set in 1989, this New Mexico town knows Lou thanks to her famous father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris with long hair as unsettling as his character). Lou Sr. runs his very own gun range as well as a lucrative business running weapons across the border. Lou Sr. has no concern for the law or taking life, and this hardened way of life has made him a cold man and abysmal father to his daughters.
Lou’s sister, Beth, is no better off than Lou as she deals with an unappealing and abusive husband (Dave Franco). Everyone feels caught in the quicksand of this dying town, which seems to be what Lou Sr. prefers… everyone resigned to the fact that he is an unchallenged deity in this American wasteland.
The arrival of Jackie (Katy O’Brian) adds a jolt to the local ecosystem, and sets the stage for upending the status quo with Lou Sr. via her relationship with Lou. Jackie is a bodybuilder on her way to a Las Vegas competition when she arrives in town. Jackie has a strong physique and no issue confronting a man in the gym who takes a little tooo forward of an approach with her. Lou is drawn to Jackie’s self-absurdness and willingness to establishing boundaries.
After the gym closes, Lou and Jackie engage in conversation which quickly leads to the bedroom in a heated encounter that starts Lou and Jackie’s progressively unhinged and dangerous romance. Following this passionate night, Lou welcomes Jackie as a roommate while Jackie tries to earn some extra money in town in the run up to her body building competition in Vegas.
Lou is someone who is permanently looking over her shoulder, mostly due to dear old dad’s business and the types of people that attracts. Stewart perfectly exhibits the nervous energy in the opening of the film, and wisely gives the character enough room to evolve by the climax of the film. Lou finds her own voice as she falls deeper in love with Jackie, exhibiting the more confrontational traits that Jackie has bubbling just underneath the surface.
Jackie is brilliantly portrayed by O’Brian, even as the script takes some leaps which a lesser talent would struggle to sell with authenticity. Glass’ ability to keep stakes high in her noir narrative while maintaining the intimacy of the characters in this gritty aesthetic is a rare feat.
The story hits two hundred miles per hour when Jackie decides to confront Lou’s abusive brother-in-law, JJ, over the beating that he gave Lou’s sister. This confrontation ends with Jackie beating JJ to death and now Lou has a distraught lover and a dead body to dispose of before the police get involved.
Using the Lou Sr. approved spot for dumping bodies, the two lovers push JJ’s car (with his body inside) into the ravine and light it on fire with a Molotov cocktail. However, the police find the vehicle which places heat on Lou Sr. operation. At the same time, Jackie leaves town for the Vegas competition and Lou is not in a great place, dealing with blackmail and concerns for her father’s next actions.
In Vegas, the steroids and pressure trigger hallucinations for Jackie and she gets arrest for assault. Lou Sr. frees her only to take her hostage and then Lou must fight through hell and her own father to free Jackie. The final act is fraught with intense exchanges and leaps of logic and character motivation, but it doesn’t detract from the entertaining nature of seeing these actors revel in the characters and their collaboration with Glass.
Love Lies Bleeding examines guns, drugs, muscles, clout, lust, and the power each has over the characters in this chaos-filled narrative. Glass maintains her unique creative vision with an engaging and entertaining sophomore effort, but Saint Maude remains the more stunning cinematic achievement.
Letter Grade: B-