On Saturday, July 20, the A24 title LOVE LIES BLEEDING debuted on HBO and since then its available on Max. It been billed as a romantic thriller/dark comedy, so wrap your mind about that and wonder what you are going to get. What you get is a trending movie for the streamer. It is an international co-production between the UK’s Lionsgate and the US’s A24 and stars Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris.
Set in 1989, the film’s plot follows the lesbian relationship between a reclusive gym manager Lou, (Stewart) who is part of a crime family, and an ambitious bodybuilder who gets wrapped up in organized crime when 
the two fall in love. One night while at the gym, Lou is approached by FBI agents in search of information about Lou’s estranged father Lou Sr. (Harris) and his criminal ties. Shortly after, Lou meets Jackie (O’Brian), a bodybuilder staying in town while preparing for a competition in Las Vegas. Lou offers Jackie steroids to enhance her training and takes her under her wing. Beth (Malone) is Lou’s sister and is married to J.J. (Franco) who abuses her. Also in play is Daisy (Baryshnikov), Lou’s friend who wishes they were more than that to the point of blackmailing Lou when relationships start to get messy.
It seems the intimate family problems loom larger than the crime business schemes in this one and as, you can guess, it all ends up quite bloody.
But does it captivate the viewer? Financial Times states, “Glass chooses to swerve this hellbound vehicle off the beaten highway, and,…coherence is thrown to the wind. This is essentially a superior B-movie that gets too pumped up on its own aesthetic steroids.” But don’t we appreciate movies htat can do that at times? To be fair, Ringer wrote, “The best thrillers leave us worn out but satisfied. At the end of Love Lies Bleeding, there’s only exhaustion, and the vague feeling of having been dragged along on a fast ride to nowhere in particular.” Most critics found it favorable as RT shows –
How about you? Are you up for some ugly Ed Harris, nasty crime and bloody relathionships? Check out LOVE LIES BLEEDING On HBO & Max.
