“Love Lies Bleeding” is a romantic thriller from Rose Glass (“Saint Maud”), and it follows gym manager Lou as she falls for bodybuilder Jackie. However, their love story turns murky when they get sucked into the world of Lou’s father and his criminal activities. The film stars Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”), Katy O’Brian (“The Mandalorian”), Ed Harris (“Westworld”), Anna Baryshnikov (“Dickinson”), Jena Malone (“The Hunger Games” films) and Dave Franco (“21 Jump Street”).

As a fan of Glass’ debut film “Saint Maud,” I was really looking forward to whatever else she had to offer. Thankfully, “Love Lies Bleeding” is a very different and equally great film with excellent performances and a unique style.

One of the best elements of the film is its cast. Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart both make excellent leads, each perfectly fitting their respective characters. Not only that, but they have a lot of chemistry, making their characters’ relationship feel authentic. My favorite performance is definitely from Ed Harris, who plays a menacing antagonist; while the character doesn’t have that much depth to him, I think it works for the film’s tone.

Glass’ directing and screenplay, which she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska (“Hanna”), are a large part of why the film works as well as it does – impressively so, considering how different the film is in comparison to Glass’ first film. While “Saint Maud” is a discomforting psychological horror film, “Love Lies Bleeding” is a pulpy, queer, ‘80s-set romantic-crime thriller. The fact that both films manage to be so different from one another while also being of similar quality is a testament to Glass’ talent as a filmmaker as well as her clear vision in terms of how she wants her movies to look and feel.

The cinematography from Ben Fordesman, who also shot “Saint Maud,” makes every environment and color pop, and a few surreal sequences still stick with me. There are certain moments with Lou remembering some of her father’s crime, and they’re shown in red-tinted and strongly saturated cut-away shots, making them feel like they’re ripped out of a nightmare.

The film also utilizes a lot of practical and in-camera effects, which really benefits the overall tone and style. There’s a scene where a car is being pushed into a cavern, and while it was very clear to me that the scene was filmed with miniatures, it felt like the old-school methods that played a big role in 80s cinema. These quality special effects also extend to the film’s violence, including one particularly gruesome scene that I didn’t see coming. Even though the scene is technically an inciting incident for the plot, I don’t want to spoil what exactly happens. All I’ll say is that you’ll know it when you see it in its gory glory.

Clint Mansell’s droning and atmospheric score added quite a bit to the film, which was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t aware that he was the composer until I saw his name in the opening credits, and his involvement initially worried me. As talented as he is, I think that his work has been relatively hit or miss. While his music for “Requiem for a Dream” is one of my favorite film scores, his work on films like “Loving Vincent” and “Mute” is extremely bland and forgettable. Thankfully, the ‘80s-style synth music in “Love Lies Bleeding” feels like a return to form for Mansell, and it fits perfectly with the film’s tone.

Another element of the screenplay that I loved was the way it depicted the queer experience, particularly in comparison to other LGBTQ media. A lot of stories with gay characters heavily involve them coming out, struggling with their own sexuality and/or dealing with homophobia. “Love Lies Bleeding” features none of that, instead allowing the characters to just exist in the world as queer people. Granted, there is nothing wrong with queer cinema dealing with any of the narratives mentioned above; if anything, I think it’s very important to discuss all of these issues. These are all problems that members of the LGBTQ community face, so representing them on screen is a good way of making other people aware of these struggles. But it’s also extremely refreshing to see these narratives being tossed to the side and instead allowing the characters to live their lives. As Kristen Stewart says in the film’s press tour, “Gays do a whole lot of stuff, other than coming out.”

“Love Lies Bleeding” does have its issues, with the pacing slightly dragging in the last half of the film. But the excellent leads, stylish direction and pitch-perfect special effects combined to make a thrilling and violent film that I can’t wait to watch again.

RATING: 8/10