Rose Glass follows up her critically adored Saint Maude with this grimy thriller starring Kristen Stewart as Lou Langston, a reclusive gym manager. She falls in love with a young woman, Jackie Cleaver (Katy O’Brian) who is a bodybuilder working out at her gym. Jackie becomes drawn into Lou’s dangerous family with predictably tragic consequences.
There is a lot to like in this gritty, grungy depiction of desperate people. There are some stunningly shot scenes, often disconcertingly so, a marvellous score by Clint Mansell, a layered performance by Stewart, a disturbing one by Ed Harris as Lou’s Dad and two really shocking murders.
It works less well when Glass tries to move it out of its neo noir trappings. The examinations of abusive relationships, whether between fathers and daughters or partners seems a little too obvious. Also, whilst Saint Maude gained notoriety for its ending, it felt like she did not know how to conclude this. The very last scene will raise plenty of chuckles but the Incredible Hulk moment that preceded it, though signposted at various points earlier, did not work.
A mixed bag and a slight disappointment.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10