OPINION: The newest cult classic film: Discussing Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!
Avarie Mckinnon-Forgeron, Staff Writer
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and released on March. 6, The Bride! is a new take on the classic novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.
Set in 1930s Chicago, the film opens with the spirit of Shelley possessing a woman named Ida, who dies after a violent fall. She is then reanimated by scientist Dr. Cornelia Euphronius at the request of Frankenstein’s desperately lonely Monster, who in this film is called Frank.
From there, the film becomes a love letter to cinema, a tribute to female detective work and a deeply-woven revenge story.
The Bride!, Gyllenhaal’s second feature as writer and director, is many things at once—a gothic romance, a feminist fable, a mystery, and at times, nearly a musical.
Whether these are shining moments in the film, however, depends entirely on the viewer’s tolerance for uncontrolled chaos.
Creative choices
What the film does get right is many excellent stylistic choices, with Gyllenhaal creating an atmosphere that continuously shifts to convey the difference between reality and fiction. Some of the musical elements also aid the film’s ability to convey the delusion that comes from rejection and loneliness.
The Bride! also sets up a very captivating atmosphere, but makes some interesting choices in the process. Including the spirit of Shelly in the film was almost comical, as her role as a narrator ultimately undermines some of the themes explored in the film, throwing these messages in the faces of viewers.
Strong cast
Nonetheless, Jessie Buckley is undoubtedly the heart of the film, playing Ida, the reanimated Bride and channeling Shelley. In the role of the Bride, Buckley brings a fierce, rebellious energy to a woman who refuses to be molded into a culturally palatable version of herself.
The element I enjoyed most is the Bride’s moral superiority over the other characters in the film, easily establishing her as the main protagonist. She stands up to those who are corrupt by exposing their secrets, which was a highly captivating element that should have been focused on to a larger extent.
Christian Bale’s character, Frank, is closer to Boris Karloff’s iconic monster, who is a kindly and reluctant creature with a soft presence that Bale brings a surprising vulnerability to.
Their journey together is reminiscent of the Bonnie and Clyde story. Through an accidental crime spree, there is genuine chemistry between the two leads. The film is at its best in these moments, which are strange, tender and oddly moving.
Falling short
Where the film struggles is in its ambition to approach several themes at once. The Bride’s non-stop monologues, spitting out rage and literary references, can feel dramatic without substance and are difficult to keep up with. Additionally, when the themes are overexplained by the characters, the power of such is undercut.
Ultimately, The Bride! has ‘cult classic’ written all over it—it is too weird and outlandish for the average moviegoer, but full of enough flashes of brilliance to reward those who enjoy a film for not what it says but how it makes you feel.
It received mixed reviews upon release and was unfortunately a financial disappointment, but box office receipts rarely tell the whole story with films this singular.
The Bride! has a mirage of ideas explored, some invigorating and some half-realised. The film is messy, occasionally maddening and absolutely earns the exclamation point.
