LOVE LIES BLEEDING (2024)

File Under: Neo-Noir, Queer Cinema, Thriller

"Love Lies Bleeding" marks Rose Glass's transition from the psychological depths of Saint Maud to a simmering landscape of desire and destruction. Set in the stark desert of 1989 New Mexico, the film pulses with a carefully calibrated tension and neon cinematography that recalls Nicolas Winding Refn's most stylized work. A24 films is the appropriate studio for the director to realize her vision. Glass demonstrates remarkable precision, transforming a lurid premise into a visually arresting meditation on violence and connection.

Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brian deliver thrilling performances and electric chemistry on screen, inhabiting characters who navigate a world where love and brutality are inextricably linked. Ed Harris’s portrayal of the embodiment of moral depravity is not to be scoffed at either.

The film's soundtrack features tracks by Grace Jones, Patrick Cowley and Gina X Performance, a nod to the queer and androgynous of the past; the soundscape creates another layer of narrative sophistication, while amplifying the movie's sensual and subversive undertones. Cinematographically elegant, Rose Glass’s direction is unflinching. "Love Lies Bleeding" confirms Glass as a filmmaker of distinctive vision.

"Love Lies Bleeding", Rose Glass. 2024, USA. Running Time: 104 Minutes. English.Available for rent on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu.

PAPRIKA (2006)

File Under: Psychedelic Anime, Surrealism, Dream Logic, Sci-Fi Masterpiece.

Satoshi Kon’s 2006 anime feature has been described as an acid trip for good reason; when a machine that allows therapists to enter patients’ dreams is stolen, chaos ensues, and the only one capable of finding the culprit is Dr. Atsuko Chiba. When entering dreams Chida is transformed into an alter ego, Paprika. As she pursues the thief with her partners, she is forced into mind bending and terrifying situations, where the line between dream and reality is irrevocably blurred. This flick has been credited for inspiring Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and it’s a worthy take if you’re interested in psychological thrillers exploring complex questions about identity and existence. Available for rent on Prime and Apple TV.

"Paprika", Satoshi Kon. 2006, Japan.
Running Time: 90 Minutes. Japanese.
Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube.