Cert - 15, Run-time - 1 hour 44 minutes, Director - Rose Glass

Gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) finds her distant family's shady activities reaching back to her after she meets competitive bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian).

Rose Glass' sophomore feature is drenched in sweat. From the grime of a gym workout to the heat of a night of passion to that induced by fear, worry and panic, it constantly takes new meaning as tensions rise, and bodies twist and pulse, throughout this thriller.

It's 1989, the world has been graced by Die Hard and guests at Louville Shooting Range have increased, especially when it comes to trying out the guns seen in the film. The weapons are small, powerful and sensitive. Passing through town and needing to make some money before heading to Vegas for a competition, bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian) tells owner Lou Sr. (Ed Harris) that she likes to feel and know that she's powerful. 

Jackie quickly proves her strength that night when putting some guys in their place outside a gym, leading her to properly meet manager Lou (Kristen Stewart). The pair quickly hit it off and a relationship begins to blossom, one which might see Lou leave the small town in which she grew up, having stayed to protect her sister (Jena Malone) from her abusive husband (Dave Franco), to travel with Jackie.

However, the shady familial relations which Lou has tried to push to the side and ignore for years suddenly come to the fore, with the FBI beginning to inquire. Plans to leave become much more difficult, especially when natural strength begins to mix with steroids and both Lou and Jackie - whose body we see, and hear, growing stronger - find themselves mixing blood and sweat as rage and long-building emotions begin to take control.

Glass captures an intensely stylish small-town world where the real fear comes through the idea that everyone may well know each other, and could pull a consequential string at any time for their own gain. The production design is often sparse, a set of locations giving the impression of people just getting by with what they've had for years; items which they could easily leave at any moment if they want, or rather need, to leave. Often featuring a good coating of dirt, dust and grime. Add in the work of cinematographer Ben Fordesman and that idea of a sweat-drenched world truly kicks in.

Go into Love Lies Bleeding knowing little about the narrative and allow it to take its course. Let the tension rise as the central relationship, which thanks to Stewart and O'Brian who are both powerful forces here feels genuine even in such a short space of time, faces strain from the shady goings on of Lou's family. Only slightly detailed in red-tinted close-up flashbacks, but we know from Stewart's reactions and distance from her character's father that he's still a major threat while she stays around.

With each new development, the film packs a new punch and, like Jackie's body, takes something of a new form. Building the tension, and blood and sweat, for an investing thriller full of suspenseful details and relationships.

Jamie Skinner, Four stars