Content warning: the following article contains discussions of addiction and violence.
Summary
- Love Me pushed the boundaries of its genre too far, receiving a divisive reception.
- Love Lies Bleeding was a triumph in subversive romance, while Love Me didn't receive the same praise.
- The premise of Love Me, a post-apocalyptic romance featuring robots, was perplexing and challenging.
Love Me, Kristen Stewart's follow-up to a provocative love story with a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating may have gone too far. Kristen Stewart's movie repertoire already holds two romantic films for 2024, and they both push the envelope of what a cinematic love story looks like. In one film, Stewart's character is the daughter of a criminal gun range and gym owner who helps her girlfriend take down her father and her sister's abusive husband amid themes of love and addiction. The other is a post-apocalyptic tale that centers on an unconventional romance after the fall of civilization.
While both films include mind-bending elements, Love Me may have gone too far. Stewart's 2024 sci-fi romance elicited a 47 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviews, and the film has already garnered a divisive audience reception. However, the odd movie headlined the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, and the film boasted the Sundance Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's joint Science-In-Film award ahead of its presentation. Still, Love Me arguably went too far when pushing the boundaries of traditional romance while falling flat on a romantic story's most essential elements.
The Premise Of Kristen Stewart's Love Me Is Baffling
Kristen Stewart Stars Opposite Steven Yeun
The premise of Kristen Stewart's follow-up to Love Lies Bleeding is even more baffling than the body horror thriller. Love Me explores a romance in the aftermath of civilization's fall, with the sci-fi romance subverting traditional romance to suit the setting. Viewers witness the post-apocalyptic romance tale experienced through the lens of two robots who meet within their systems. Kristen Stewart plays Me, a lonely water buoy designed in 2600, with Steven Yeun as IAm. Yeun's character is a satellite tasked with managing data about human life, and he falls into Me's attempt to make the satellite her boyfriend.
Love Me was written and directed by filmmaker couple Sam and Anthony Zuchero.
It's an alienating concept, and Love Me's story was divisive. While some reviews found it a brilliant tale, others considered it a strung-together vision with an uncommitted execution. Love Me movie reviews suggest that the film fell short of delivering the emotion required to sell the narrative, and the plot itself was void of the feelings it calls into question. What's certain is that Love Me fell flat at the Sundance Film Festival despite Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun's performances, not because of them.
Love Lies Bleeding Was A Perfect Example Of A Subversive Romance Movie
Kristen Stewart Stars Opposite Twisters' Katy O'Brian
Kristen Stewart's Love Lies Bleeding was a perfect subversive romance film because it challenged the traditional love story and won. The narrative drives romance amid a thrilling yet redeeming body horror plot sprinkled with elements of magical realism. Love Lies Bleeding's shocking moments center on two heroines amid themes of addiction, violence, masculinity, and death. The film skillfully holds all its themes simultaneously, giving every character a chance to be the bad guy. However, the story perpetually leaves room for hope that Lou and Jack will have their happily ever after, too – some distorted and hellbent version of it.
While Love Lies Bleeding reviews understand the film as a triumph, Love Me hasn't received the same love.
Love Lies Bleeding has shocking moments that define the film. The characters fixate on appearances, drugs, sex, and revenge, with their addictions playing out in unpredictable ways that bend reality. Love Lies Bleeding also maintains a central addiction throughout the film: love. Kristen Stewart's Lou and Katy O'Brian's Jackie never kick their addiction to one another. Love Lies Bleeding's leading women ultimately turn into giants and run off together – not into the sunset but through a blanket of night. As they drive away in Lou's truck, the film maintains its gritty theme of moral ambiguity in Love Lies Bleeding's ending.
Love Me Is A Risky Follow-Up After Kristen Stewart's Success With Love Lies Bleeding
Love Me Pushed Subversive Romance Too Far
Love Me is a risky follow-up to Love Lies Bleeding because the film attempted to subvert the romance genre again. That said, where the love between Jackie and Lou feels evident and their chemistry palpable, Love Me failed to deliver on the essential elements of a love story when attempting to turn the genre on its head. While Love Lies Bleeding reviews understand the film as a triumph, Love Me hasn't received the same love. That said, Love Me certainly wasn't a failure for Kristen Stewart. Some of her most unique performances have aged to be some of her best after all.
Love Me and Love Lies Bleeding both made their premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Love Me was part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition. In contrast, Love Lies Bleeding debuted in the Midnight category, reserved for "films that will keep you wide awake and on the edge of your seat" (via Sundance Film Festival.) The films kicked off Stewart's year on an emotional high note, regardless of Love Me's reception. Love Me has yet to be released to a larger audience, so opportunities still exist for the narrative to become beloved despite, or perhaps because of, its premise.
Source: Sundance Film Festival
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Love Lies Bleeding
R
Action
Adventure
Crime
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
*Availability in US
Love Lies Bleeding is an action crime film from A24. Directed by Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding centers on a gym employee, played by Kristen Stewart, and a bisexual bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian) as they discover how difficult the world of competitive bodybuilding is. The film also stars Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris.
- Director
- Rose Glass
- Release Date
- March 3, 2024
- Runtime
- 104 Minutes
- Cast
- Kristen Stewart , Katy O'Brian , Jena Malone , Anna Baryshnikov , Dave Franco , Ed Harris
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Love Me (2024)
Not Rated
Drama
Romance
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Love Me is a romantic drama film written and directed by Sam and Andy Zuchero and was released in 2024. Set in a postapocalyptic scenario, the film follows two individuals who meet online and fall in love. However, the nature of their relationship and the world causes them to evaluate what is real - including themselves.
- Director
- Sam Zuchero , Andy Zuchero
- Release Date
- January 19, 2024
- Runtime
- 92 Minutes
- Cast
- Kristen Stewart , Steven Yeun
