This A24 Thriller Movie is Also a Queer Romance
By Lillith Rengstorf
Love Lies Bleeding is a thriller romance movie from A24 studios that released in theaters earlier this year. The film stars Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian, and was directed by Rose Glass. I had been meaning to watch it for months, and finally got around to it for this month’s article. I don’t even know how to fully describe it, maybe just that it may be one of my new favorite movies. The main character Lou (Kristen Stewart) is a reclusive gym manager who falls in love with a female bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian), who is passing through on her way to a bodybuilding competition in Vegas. This whirlwind romance brings back things from Lou’s past like her connection to her father’s crime network.
I think that my favorite thing about Love Lies Bleeding is that it’s a gay story, and at the same time, it’s not. Yes the main characters are a lesbian and a bisexual woman, but that does not impact the story any more than it would if it was a straight romance. The story is about the violence of Lou’s family and the murders committed, not the sexuality of the two women. That being said, this film is definitely made for the female gaze, which is fitting because of the sexuality of the romance portrayed. There are two main ways that I noticed this different view. First when Jackie’s character is introduced, there are slow camera shots of her back and biceps in an almost sexualized way, rather than her butt or breasts. The viewer is seeing her through the eyes of Lou, and therefore, through the female gaze. Secondly, I saw this in the way female characters act. They are angry without them being hysterical, they’re violent in non-sexy ways, and they are angry in a scary way that we typically only see from male characters.
I do think that another part of this movie that I enjoyed so much was actually Kristen Stewart herself. I identified with her character a lot, not in any practical or life story sense, but more I identified with the “tired-of-men’s-bs” lesbian energy. With the film being set in the late 1980s, Stewart’s character Lou, and O’Brian’s character Jackie have to deal with some rather pushy men, and while Jackie’s response is angry, Lou just doesn’t care one single bit.
To some, including me, Kristen Stewart was not an obvious choice for this role, despite her being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I had only ever seen her in one other role, perhaps her most well known, Bella in the Twilight series. The Twilight films are… not spectacular cinema, to say the least, however this movie, as well as some of Kristen Stewart’s more recent films have truly showcased her talent as an actress. Stewart was really able to bring this tired gym manager with a dark past to life, and her on-screen chemistry with O’Brian made the romance and love between the characters truly believable. She brought a beautiful weight to the character of Lou, and an emotion that made the film truly something special for me.
About the Author
Lilith is studying Biology at Butler University in Indianapolis, she is also pursuing a minor in Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She has been out as bisexual for over four years, and uses she/they pronouns. Lilith also serves on the executive board of the LGBTQIA Alliance at Butler University. In her free time she loves to crochet, embroider, and read.
