'Love Lies Bleeding' Reviews from Sundance

 

We have collated 'Love Lies Bleeding' reviews from the Sundance 2024 premiere and screenings.

Click on the links for the full review:

Indiewire ...an alternately alluring and excruciating crime thriller that also smacks of body horror and midnight movie thrills.

Deadline  Love Lies Bleeding is an intense, queer, unconventional love story between two unstable people. Directed and written by Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska, and stars Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone and Anna Baryshinkov. The film explores the destructive nature of relationships, marked by strong performances and a visually arresting narrative.

Stewart and O’Brian are electric as the toxic, uhaul duo of star-crossed psychos in love. Stewart, having tackled a diverse array of roles, demonstrates her expansive range, leaving no doubt about her acting ability.

Variety ...Stewart invests the role with an avid hunger, stripping away her normally cool façade to give the film a charged center of vulnerability.     

Rolling Stone A white-hot mix of romance, violence, bodybuilding and bullets, this intense thriller left its festival premiere's audience delirious

The Hollywood Reporter ...a lesbian neo-noir drenched in brooding nightscapes, violent crime and more hardcore KStew cool than has ever been packaged in such a potent concentrate. 

Love Lies Bleeding is a hallucinatory trip down the darkest byways of Americana.

The Wrap “Love Lies Bleeding” is a bombastic twist on the crime drama genre with 1980s flourishes and an ominous score from composer Clint Mansell. Stewart proves to be a powerhouse performer in a role defined by sexuality, love, lust, anger, and connection. As Lou’s family becomes a stereotype of criminal activity, her sense of self gets lost in the mix, leading to a jaw-dropping ending.

The Playlist 

Bloody Disgusting For all the wild turns and gruesome bursts of violence and dead bodies, it’s the cast that shines brightest. Harris’ cool crime boss earns admiration despite knowing what he’s capable of. Baryshnikov’s Daisy is a scene stealer for her utter weirdness, and Malone is well cast as Lou’s oddball sister. But the movie belongs to Stewart, who uplifts every scene partner, and O’Brian, who grows more assured and confident in her role as the events progress into complete madness.

EW it’s Stewart and O’Brian who bring the film back to reality, anchoring Lou and Jackie’s love story with the giddy obsession of two people who feel they’ve finally found their soulmate. Stewart is the film’s beating heart, and the actress masterfully sheds Lou’s cool façade as she and Jackie sink deeper into trouble. But O’Brian is also excellent as Jackie, who pursues her goals with a single-minded, starry-eyed fury (whether that’s a body-building title or Lou’s heart). It’s a brutal, bloody, and discombobulating ride, but boy, is it a blast.

Discussing Film Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian have the kind of instant chemistry that sizzles off the screens. Through recent projects like Spencer and Crimes of the Future, Stewart continues to prove herself as one hell of a character actress. Her brooding, rough-and-tumble protagonist Lou splits the difference between earnest concern and embodying the archetype of a roguish anti-hero. 

Collider Love Lies Bleeding thrives on the performances of Stewart and O’Brian as both are electric every time they’re on the screen. In Stewart’s performance, every twist and turn and their impact on her character can be felt in the way she fights through the most terrifying moments, and just the way she shifts her eyes or makes her lips tremble tells us everything we need to know about what she’s thinking in these difficult scenarios without saying a world. Stewart is also having a hell of a lot of fun, and as the film pumps up the stakes, she is more than willing to become an unwilling action star of sorts, meeting each obstacle with the strength they require.

Silver Screen Riot

Out Starring a terrific Kristen Stewart, a terrifying Ed Harris, and a brilliant breakout performance from Katy O’Brian, Love Lies Bleeding is a movie that will stick with you forever.

Dread Central 

Roger Ebert Of course, it helps that the usually-great Kristen Stewart knows exactly what to do here, playing Lou not as a wide-eyed loser who is just trying to escape her life, but a strong voice made louder by her love for Jackie. It’s important that Lou isn’t a victim in this tale, and Stewart nails a character who is somehow both confident and vulnerable at the same time. She’s the cleaner (and I also love how much “Love Lies Bleeding” focuses on how acts of violence have a very practical aftermath that someone has to clean up.) It’s a great performance.

Slashfilm "Love Lies Bleeding" feels refreshingly honest in its depiction of love and how messy it can be. Stewart and O'Brian have a fantastic chemistry that holds the screen but never feels self-reflexively "movie star-ish," their vibe so down-to-earth that you may be fooled into thinking the film could be naturalistic at times.

IGN A deep dive into the kinkiest recesses of its creator’s mind, this is a film that’s pure “WTF?” in the best way possible.

For Reel As expected, Kristen Stewart is fantastic in her role as Lou, showing a wide array of emotions and some hilarious line deliveries, especially with Ed Harris, who plays her devious father. 

After an already high-octane first two acts, the grand slam of the finale works extremely well, as Glass makes some big swings that some viewers might find hamfisted, forced, or out of left field. Although I did feel somewhat underwhelmed by the finale, it still works in the grand scheme of the narrative. Love Lies Bleeding is as white-knuckle as thrillers can get, and is undoubtedly one of the best thrillers of the decade so far.

Journey into Cinema Starring Kristen Stewart as an introverted gym manager with a dark past and featuring Katy O’Brian in a towering physical performance as aspiring bodybuilder Jackie, Love Lies Bleeding is the ultimate lesbian revenge thriller we’ve all been waiting for. Stylistically invigorating and continually surprising, people will be talking about this for ages.

Austin Chronicle It’s a propulsive, energetic love story by way of 1980s tinged pulp, a wild ride that deserves to be seen on a big screen and with the biggest crowd possible. In her 2019 debut feature, Saint Maud, Glass showcased an aptitude for stories about obsession and magical realism. In Love Lies Bleeding, she cements her voice and gift for capturing these themes in the loudest way possible.

The Film Stage Stewart, who has become the Sundance queen with her other starring role in Love Me, sinks into her signature chain-smoking agitated state but adds another anxious level while Jackie takes the reins of this movie, easing its veers into the uncanny and grotesque with her determined eyes and imposing stature. You can’t help but get lost in her spiraling, mostly because the movie starts spiraling with her. The adrenaline ride is fueled by misunderstandings, secrets and, yes, lies, but Glass never loses the thread––or the pulsating feeling––of everyone’s manic reactions.