What’s it about?
In 1930s Chicago, groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious brings a murdered young woman back to life to be a companion for Frankenstein’s monster. She brings back the spirit of Mary Shelley with her (literally – because why not?).
What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: It’s fitting that a movie inspired by Frankenstein is itself a mishmash of genres and other films stitched together.
Take a chunk of Bride of Frankenstein, glue it to Bonnie and Clyde, staple on Thelma and Louise and mix heartily with Joaquin Phoneix’s joker and you have Maggie Gyllenhall’s new flick The Bride.
Oh and throw in a dance number that comes from nowhere that is equally glorious and baffling (Is it imagination? Possession? Or just a musical section just because?).
It’s Maggie Gyllenhal’s second stint as a director (after The Lost Daughter in 2021) and this time she also wrote the piece. There’s an unapologetic undercurrent about inequality but it’s an important backdrop rather than preaching.
In an amazing cast featuring Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Annette Bennington, Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard it’s actually Jessie Buckley who steals the show with her madcap portrayal of punk feminism.
There are so many interesting ideas in The Bride that we don’t get to fully explore all of them which is a shame because the joyous almost chaotic romp is compelling even when you’re unsure whether you’re enjoying it or not.
By the end I’d stopped questioning the small details and some anachronistic quotes and just enjoyed the ride. It’s not perfect but it is joyous chaos.
