20 Best Movies Of 2024 (So Far)
11. Love Lies Bleeding
Some films are big hits that are quickly forgotten; others, like Love Lies Bleeding, are sleeper hits that have all the hallmarks of a future cult favourite.
The second feature from Saint Maud director Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding is both noir thriller and romance, following a gym owner and part-time criminal (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with a bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian), a connection that quickly threatens to doom them both.
Part Coen Brothers, part David Lynch, what follows in Love Lies Bleeding is a twisted love story derailed by its participants' life of crime and murder, grounded throughout by the unflinchingly committed performances of both Stewart and O'Brian, who delivers a powerhouse in the first major role of her career.
Pulpy and dark, Glass's vision is a singular one that defies genre and reality, balancing its various plot threads with a heavy but effective reliance on red herrings and creative aesthetic gambles. It's a wild ride, but one you'll be glad you braved alongside its brilliant leading ladies.