Following her notable debut Saint Maud – a visceral horror exploring the depths of faith and madness – Rose Glass decided to give us something completely different – a provocative body-building noir about the extreme sport and forbidden love. A shy gym manager Lou falls head over heels for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder passing through a sleepy town in New Mexico, following her dream about becoming famous in Las Vegas. But their affair triggers a chain reaction, pulling them deeply in the net of Lou’s criminal family. A renegade romance is at the same time dreamy and nightmarish, creepy and funny, drenched in poison and lit by the magic of deep desert and open road. The plot courageously defies predictability, as well as its cinematic form: Glass confidently blends black comedy, queer crime film, pulp fiction, family drama and revenge thriller aiming to explore destructive and intoxicating powers of excess, ambition and l’amour fou. The film is set in the 80s as the ultimate decade of excess, on the verge of 90s nihilism that irrevocably lead to its disintegration. Bodybuilding and steroids used by Jackie reflect the dangers arising from artificiality, ambition and demonstration of force that only serve their own purpose. Just as in Saint Maud, Glass portrays people who are trying to transform themselves and dynamics of power in very intimate relationships. Only this time, the theme is: „If you think that being alone is difficult, try falling in love!“ Romantic love is often considered the final aim, the one that will change everything for the better, but the reality is more complicated than that. Love Lies Bleeding is precisely about that grey area – highlighting the selfish, parasitic qualities of love and the way it makes us both excited and terrified. Glass also questions the well-trodden cinematic paths, and together with brilliant Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian turns the idea of a „powerful female character“ and what it usually entails on its head.

Awards and festivals:

Sundance Film Festival (2024) – world premiere; Berlinale (2024) – international premiere