I love seeing newer actors and or actresses break onto the scene with a big hit. An example from last year was Dominik Sessa from The Holdovers. Love Lies Bleeding is one of those films with an actress that I think will be a breakout star. Her name is Katy O’Brian. She shines opposite a great cast that includes Kristen Stewart. She is an absolute revelation in this film. 

Lou (Kristen Stewart) is a woman who lives by herself and works as a manager at a gym. When a beautiful buff young woman, Jackie (Katy O’Brian comes into the gym to work out, she falls head over heels for her. Once these two start to hang out with each other more regularly O’Brian’s character realizes she is involved with a woman who has a family with a lot of violent tendencies. It doesn’t stop them though. They truly and deeply love each other.

This film is directed by Rose Glass, the woman who directed Saint  Maud back in 2019. She does a few stylistic things that set her films apart from other directors. One of those is the sound design. The sound design is so incredible when teamed up with the score they make a formidable part of the film. They are loud and noticeable, especially during violent scenes. When the drama ramps up so does the score by Clint Mansell and the sound design comes along for the ride.

One aspect of the movie I  thought was weird but good was when one particular character got angry they had a Bruce Banner moment and turned into the incredible Hulk without the green makeup. These scenes worked very well in the context of the film because they showed the state of this character and for lack of a better phrase, you as in their victims wouldn’t like them when they are angry. It was a nice touch to this particular character’s story.

Glass assembled a nice cast for this period piece set in the 80s. The two I’ve mentioned are the standouts but there are a few more noticeable supporting actors in the movie. Namely Ed Harris as O’Brian’s character’s boss and Stewart’s character’s father. He owns a gun range that doubles as a bar. He also has some criminal activities on the side. Another pair of the supporting cast is Dave Franco who works for Harris’s character and is married to his other daughter played by Jenna Malone. He’s a violent man and beats his wife. This is the inciting event that kicks off the main story in the film. Malone’s character is beaten to a pulp and ends up in the hospital. With this sort of thing in my family when I was a child it didn’t sit well with me. So I was glad with what the Franco character got in the end.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here. I have loved the choices Kristen Stewart has made in her career ever since the Twilight franchise ended. Her choices have been well calculated. She’s played Diana Spencer in Spencer, Maureen in Personal Shopper, and Valentine in Clouds of Sils Maria just to name a few fascinating and interesting characters. Later this year she voices a bouie that falls in love with a satellite in Love Me. Her choices are inspiring. The character she plays in this film is more straightforward but she does a lot with her. 

You can’t talk about one of the co-stars of this movie without talking about the other. Katy O’Brian is a revelation to me in this film. She had me glued to her every word and move. From the beginning of the movie until the end, I cared about her and her journey. She was so intriguing.  She worked well opposite Stewart. She made me believe she was a bodybuilder and belonged in that world. I knew people that did steroids and roid rage is a real thing. It’s not fun to see people get like this. As a character I like so much I felt sorry for her in some respect.  O’Brian killed this role and I can’t wait to see what she does next in her career.

Love Lies Bleeding has the feel of a classic film noir with a thriller/Romance angle thrown in. The movie has some great sound design and a powerful score by Clint Mansel. Glass puts her unique touches on a tried and true formula. The violence is almost unwatchable but you knew it was coming. Stewart is once again excellent but the real find for me was O’Brian. Yes, she’s been in Antman Quantum Mania and The Mandalorian in smaller roles, but this is her breakout performance.  She owns the screen in every scene she’s in and the technical things Glass does with her character are the cherry on top of a sundae for me. She is mesmerizing to watch. The film is much better for having her in it. A24 has another hit on their hands.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen