I recently had the pleasure of watching Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut film ‘The Bride’ and left the cinema feeling certain that the future of film is in great hands. ‘The Bride’ is a gothic romance set in Chicago, a city full of crime and violence as we follow the two lovers Frank played by Christian Bale and Ida played by Jessie Buckley. ‘The Bride’ further contains themes of feminism and woman empowerment as it addresses the imbalance of power between both men and women, Ida herself starting out as a victim and slowly transforms into a figure of strength and someone to fear.
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Buckly’s performance is outstanding as she becomes completely unrecognisable. I found myself in complete awe as she transforms into this outlandish creature that is completely insane yet so beautiful to watch. The chemistry between both Buckley and Bale seemed a bit lackluster and I found myself wanting more emotional depth between the two characters. Although I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve I found that it didn’t quite reach a point where I was completely invested, as such the ending of the film felt dull and somewhat disappointing therefore unrewarding.
What helped develop the story was the beautiful cinematography, further enhanced by the soundtrack. My favourite scenes in the film were the ones that involved dancing, particularly the dance during the scene in which they are at the ball. This scene is completely hypnotic as you can’t stop yourself from watching. Both Buckley and Bale put on an electric performance as they both become almost possessed as the two move to the music. The gothic choreography further accentuated by the high contrast lighting and 30’s music was such a joy to watch play out on screen and further acts a turning point in the film as this is where the feminist revolution portion of the story really takes off as Ida becomes a figure of women empowerment.
Gyllenhaal’s use of female strength is not only seen through Ida but also through the characters Dr. Euphronious played by Annette Bening and the detective, Myrna Malloy played by Penelope Cruz. This felt very refreshing to watch on the screen as it was not forced or out of place. Both supporting characters, although could have felt slightly more fleshed out, served genuine purpose to the story, never being overshadowed by their male counterparts in a setting in which the men are usually the domineering presence.
After years of the Frankenstein story being regurgitated and done over and over again, “The Bride’ feels like a refreshing retelling of a story audiences have seen hundreds of times. Due to this, I am so excited to see what Gyllenhaal decides to do next.
The Hermit xx
Arcana Cinema 
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