From the mind of Rose Glass (writer/director of 2020 standout Saint Maud) comes the "gnarly masterpiece" Love Lies Bleeding. It stars Kristen Stewart, newcomer Katy O'Brian, Ed Harris, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, and Dave Franco sporting mullets, perms, and all things inherently '80s. A twisted romance that is "as harrowing as it is tender" and "as horny as it is horrifying," as Mashable film editor Kristy Puchko put it, Love Lies Bleeding has earned a top spot on our list of the best films of 2024. And now it's officially available to stream at home.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Love Lies Bleeding.
Set in New Mexico in the '80s, Love Lies Bleeding follows the kismet relationship between loner gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) and amateur bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian), who is headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream: dominating a bodybuilding competition. What follows is a lethally loyal love that ignites violence and pulls them deep into the dangerous web of Lou's criminal family.
"There are movies that grab you by the throat. There are movies that punch you in the gut. Love Lies Bleeding is both, and I fucking love it," Mashable's Kristy Puchko writes in her review.
Take a sneak peek at the trailer:
After Challengers, we've named Love Lies Bleeding the best movie of 2024 (so far) — and other critics largely agree. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Rose Glass-directed movie has earned a "certified fresh" 94 percent critic rating and 82 percent audience rating. It wasn't exactly a box office hit or anything, pulling in just $12.5 million total worldwide, but it was also a limited release. Plus, box office numbers aren't always reliable.
As Mashable's film editor put it, "Love Lies Bleeding is a gnarly masterpiece, and you're gonna want to see it on a big screen with the best sound system possible."
Read our full review of Love Lies Bleeding.
Love Lies Bleeding officially hit streaming on July 19, about four months after it made its theatrical debut. Max is the streaming home of new A24 theatrical releases, so the Kristen Stewart film joins other recent flicks like The Iron Claw and Problemista on the service. Max subscriptions start at $9.99 per month, but there are some ways you can save some money on your plan. Check out the deals below.
If you don't mind ads, a Max monthly subscription will cost you $9.99 per month. You can easily sign up for a single month and watch Love Lies Bleeding as many times as you want, then cancel before you're charged for another month. However, if you're in it for the long haul, you can save some money by signing up for an annual plan instead. It costs $99.99 per year, which breaks down to just $8.33 per month instead. That's 16% cheaper than paying monthly, but you'll have to pay it in full upfront.
For an ad-free viewing experience, you have two options: Max Ad-Free and Max Ultimate Ad-Free. The basic Max Ad-Free plan costs $16.99 per month, while Max Ultimate goes for $20.99 per month. If you choose to pay upfront for the year, however, it'll cost you just $169.99 per year (about $14.17 per month) or $209.99 per year (about $17.50 per month) instead. That's a total savings of 16% on either plan.
Note: Both tiers offer an ad-free viewing experience, but the Ultimate tier steps things up with 4K Ultra HD video quality and Dolby Atmos immersive audio.
Cricket Wireless customers on the $60 per month unlimited plan are blessed with Max with ads for free. That's a $99.99 per year value for zero dollars. Just head over to the Max app or navigate to Max.com on a browser, choose Cricket as your provider, and enter your credentials to log in. Then you can watch Love Lies Bleeding and plenty of other A24 films whenever you want. Check out the terms and conditions on Cricket's website to learn more.
College students can score Max with ads for 50% off for an entire year. That drops the price down to just $4.99 per month. You'll just have to verify your student status using UNiDAYS, which will give you a unique discount code. Then head back over to Max and redeem your code to stream for half the usual cost.
While obviously not the cheapest option for watching Love Lies Bleeding, you can get more bang for your buck in the long run by bundling Max with Hulu and Disney+. This new bundle offers all three services with ads for only $16.99 (reg. $25.97) per month — that's 35% in savings. You could also sign up for the ad-free option and get all three for $29.99 per month (reg. $48.97), a savings of 38%.
If you'd rather not sign up for another streaming service, you can also rent or purchase Love Lies Bleeding on video-on-demand sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home (Vudu), and more. Rentals are available for 30 days and once you start watching, you'll have to finish it within 48 hours. Purchases are yours for the long haul to watch however often you wish.
As of April 26, you can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:
Prime Video — buy for $18.49, rent for $4.49 for Prime members
Apple TV — buy for $19.99, rent for $5.99
Fandango at Home (Vudu) — buy for $19.99, rent for $5.99
YouTube — buy for $19.99, rent starting at $4.99