A sweaty, gritty, horny, sapphic thrill ride that, if not for it's divisive and dreamlike fizzle of a finale, would be a personal modern classic. Rose Glass absolutely blew me away with her debut in Saint Maud, and her penchant for blurring the lines between fantasy and reality only continues with more fervour in her sophmore outing. A departure from her horror roots, Love Lies Bleeding is part lesbian romance, part crime thriller with a dash of body horror. I absolutely loved everything this movie was putting down for about 90% of the runtime, even down to its manic escalation towards the back half, but I can't help but feel shortchanged by the haste with which concludes things right before the credits roll. Lovely visuals, everything looks so caked in sweat and dirt and humidity; Kristen is quietly hilarious and the perfect fit for the awkward, sprialing-in-love lesbian she's asked to play opposite larger than life Katy O'Brian, who absolutely steals the show with her troubled, muscular, steroid junkie Jackie. I have a feeling that subsequent viewings will only aid this one, as well as musing on the signivicance of a lot of the imagery in play here. Really great stuff, I look forward to now reading explanation posts and watching video essays until I fully understand every part of this movie, and there is no greater praise I can give it than that.