How to see Kristen Stewart's buzzy bodybuilder romance 'Love Lies Bleeding' in Columbia

One of the buzziest films of the young year, the Kristen Stewart-led "Love Lies Bleeding" makes its way to Columbia and Ragtag Cinema starting Friday.

From filmmaker Rose Glass ("Saint Maud"), the film places viewers back in the late 1980s, where Lou, Stewart's gym manager, tumbles into bodybuilder Jackie (played by actress and martial artist Katy O'Brian). Their affair ignites and intertwines with the looming presence of Lou's hellbent, crime-driven family.

The stacked cast includes Ed Harris, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov and Dave Franco.

Sitting at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes as of Monday, the film has earned praise for its lead performances, the heat they generate, and the intensity of Glass' vision.

"You've never seen a romance as reckless and riveting as 'Love Lies Bleeding,' " Peter Travers wrote for ABC News. "It's a grenade of image and sound ready to blow."

Slate's Dana Stevens placed "Love Lies Bleeding" in a dynamic cinematic lineage, calling it "a neo-noir lesbian romance à la Bound, a go-for-broke road movie in the tradition of Thelma and Louise, and, by moments, a work of surrealist body horror that pays homage to both David Cronenberg and David Lynch."

"It’s jampacked with fantasy sequences, workout montages that segue seamlessly into raunchy sex scenes, and periodic eruptions of gore so shocking they had the audience I saw it with gasping and covering our eyes in near-comical unison," Stevens added.

Perhaps Mashable writer Kristy Puchko gets the best line — and should get the last word:

"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 f---ing love it."

"Love Lies Bleeding" begins at Ragtag Friday and is rated R. Visit https://ragtagcinema.org/ for showtimes.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How to see Kristen Stewart's 'Love Lies Bleeding' in Columbia