We all know the story of Frankenstein, but how much do we know about the woman who was created to be his bride? In this version, Frank (Christian Bale) asks Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) to make him a companion after living for many years on his own. Together they reanimate a murdered young woman by the name of Ida (Jessie Buckley). When the two monsters meet, a romance sparks between them while also causing police attention and a radical social movement.
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sophomore directorial outing seemed to be right up my alley. I loved the idea of finally giving The Bride her own backstory. I loved the gothic romance and film noir vibes that were boasted in the trailer. However, this film ultimately left me scratching my head. It was unlike anything I could have expected it to be and I don’t mean that in a good way. While there were a few bright spots, I couldn’t help but feel let down by the entire experience.
The cinematography was a strong point. It was lush, dramatic and it completely understood the assignment. Combined with the production design, it was a feast for the eyes. The way in which the 1930s were depicted was unlike anything I had seen before. I also have to give major props to the make up and costume department because they smashed it. The black blood smudges were a great choice as was Ida’s burnt orange dress.
Buckley was phenomenal as the titular character. Not only does she portray The Bride and Ida, she also dons an unexpected third: Mary Shelley. The author of Frankenstein in all her glory has been resurrected (in some form or another). I’m not entirely sure what the point of her inclusion was, but it says a lot for Buckley to be able to play three completely different individuals and have them all stand out from the other. While I like Bale as an actor, I have to say that he had tough competition here. Coming off of Jacob Elordi’s stunning turn in Guillermo Del Torro’s Frankenstein that dropped last year, it was hard not to hope for a similar performance. Bale did what he could though he was outshined by Buckley. At least they still had a decent chemistry with one another.
Bening as Dr. Euphronious seemed interesting enough though we as the audience never really got to know a lot about her character. She wasted no time agreeing to Frank’s wishes and it would have been nice to understand why. Penelope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard starred as Myrna Malloy and Jake Wiles, two police officers who are determined to track down Ida and find out how she is still alive. Again, these characters were one-dimensional at best. Why did Jake care so much about Ida back when she was alive and why did Myrna want to be lead detective so badly? Lastly, I mustn’t forget to mention Jake Gyllenhaal, the director’s brother, who stars as Ronnie Reed. Ronnie Reed is an actor that Frank idolizes. At the beginning of the film, I thought that was maybe because a part of him used to be Ronnie, before he died and was stitched up with other bodies and then I was proven wrong. We never did get any answers to this and it played a rather large part in the story.
This was probably one of the aspects that bothered me the most while watching. I simply did not see what the point was. There was so much potential. The film started off on a really interesting note and I was looking forward to seeing where it was going to go. But there were just too many ideas and none of them came together. I also don’t think it helped that too much was going on in general. I didn’t know if I was watching a love story, a feminist piece, a take on Bonnie and Clyde or a mob caper. I appreciate Gyllenhaal for wanting to swing big, but that doesn’t always equate in success.
I knew The Bride! was going to be divisive and I’m sorry to say that I am part of the few that disliked it. I’m usually all for the bizarre and outlandish, but this was too much. Despite it’s brilliant case and beautifully shot scenes, it wasn’t enough to save it for me. I needed for something to make sense, for it to all come together in some way or another, and it simply never did.
Rating: ♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 