What Happened To Katy O’Brian’s Jackie In Love Lies Bleeding

Love Lies Bleeding is the story of Lou Langston (Kristen Stewart) and Jackie Cleaver (Katy O’Brian), but the latter goes through a sudden and surprising transformation at the end that leaves viewers confused. Directed by Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding is a romantic thriller that took the audience by surprise with its twists and turns, romance, and violence. Love Lies Bleeding holds a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its direction, the performances of Stewart and O’Brian, themes, and layered story.

Set in 1989, Love Lies Bleeding follows gym manager Lou, who has a toxic and complicated family background as her mother left years before, her father Lou Sr. (Ed Harris) is a psychopath, and her sister is in an abusive relationship. When bodybuilder Jackie arrives at the gym, she and Lou begin a romantic and intense relationship that quickly escalates and gets them into trouble when Jackie gets involved in a murder. Love Lies Bleeding also follows Jackie’s training to attend a bodybuilding competition, but she has a literally huge (and confusing) transformation at the end of the movie.

Jackie’s Giant Transformation In Love Lies Bleeding Explained

Jackie Suddenly Became A Giant In Love Lies Bleeding

Jackie’s goal in Love Lies Bleeding is to take part in a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas and win, as she needs the money as she is homeless after leaving her home to pursue her dreams. Jackie tells Lou everything is natural in her body, meaning she has never taken any sort of enhancements during her training, but that changes when she meets Lou. Lou gives her steroids she has access to thanks to some of the guys at the gym, and Jackie starts taking them. Of course, these cause physical changes not only in Jackie’s body but also in her behavior, turning her more aggressive and reckless.

In a fit of rage, Jackie kills JJ (Dave Franco), Lou’s brother-in-law who used her for sex and beats Lou’s sister so badly she ends up in the hospital. This unleashes a series of problems for her and Lou that lead Jackie to work for Lou Sr. so she won’t go to jail, who forces her to kill another woman only to accuse her of double murder.

At the end of Love Lies Bleeding, as Lou confronts her father and he’s about to kill her, Jackie grows the size of a giant and pins down Lou Sr. to free Lou, who threatens to kill him but decides to leave him for the police. Jackie, still in giant size, and Lou, now also a giant, run away from Lou Sr.’s house in the night, and in the next scene, they’re back to their normal size and driving off.

Jackie doesn’t really grow into a giant, and it’s a symbolic way in which Love Lies Bleeding represents Jackie’s growth as a person amid the chaos she and Lou went through. Becoming a giant represents Jackie’s confidence and freedom, not just from her own limits but from the control Lou Sr. had on her, allowing her to take him down and help Lou. This is also why Lou is also shown as a giant, as she was freed from her father and her past, and she and Jackie grew together through all the mess.

Did Steroids Really Cause Jackie’s Transformation?

Jackie Started Taking Steroids When She Met Lou

Although steroids are a key part of Jackie’s physical transformation throughout Love Lies Bleeding, they’re not the reason for her giant size at the end of the movie. Steroids not only helped Jackie achieve her physical goal in time for the competition but also had a direct effect on her behavior, leading her to make impulsive decisions that had horrible consequences for her and Lou.

Love Lies Bleeding shows Jackie’s physical transformation at different points and literally shows her muscles getting bigger, which is why it’s understandable to believe steroids caused her transformation into a giant. Love Lies Bleeding is about breaking free from the past, trauma, and one’s limitations, and though this was a chaotic and almost deadly process for Lou and Jackie, they achieved the freedom and confidence they needed so badly.

Love Lies Bleeding

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

Cast

Kristen Stewart , Katy O’Brian , Jena Malone , Anna Baryshnikov , Dave Franco , Ed Harris

Runtime

104 Minutes