The Bride! (dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal)
By: Tarek Fayoumi
Maggie Gyllenhaal is getting more creative with elements to make her projects standout. After directing The Lost Daughter (2021), she reunites with Jessie Buckley in The Bride! By far one of the most authentic and humorous Frankenstein films I have seen. This one though, is one where there is a sense of normalcy trying to be established in terms of the monsters that are the stars of the film. What I mean is both parties know their presence is creepy. Regardless, they try to embrace the world in front of them. The Bride! is set in Chicago in the 1930s, a choice that adds classic nostalgia . Going forward it is a film where dying and being reborn again carries a challenging road in which the real-world presents a lot of obstacles for its main characters. The complications are plentiful for the film’s two “Frankenstein” monsters. Gyllenhaal’s directing creates a sense of connection, meaning, despair, and grief. All of which are looking to be found no matter the cause.
The film starts with the murder of a young lady named The Bride played by Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, Hamnet). Years later, Frankenstein, played by Christian Bale (The Pale Blue Eye, Amsterdam), enters the picture as he wishes to revive The Bride for the purpose of connection. Once she is brought back to life, Gyllenhaal’s film sets off on a rollercoaster ride of romance, tragedy, and mischievous adventure. The chemistry is dazzling between The Bride and Frankenstein as the two ghoulish characters attempt to find love.
The film’s introduction provides The Bride! with a necessary clarity. The foundation of why Frankenstein's wish to bring The Bride back to life has a compelling context. There are numerous flashbacks that portray that The Bride had moments of happiness and confidence in her life. After being reborn, the film falls into an additive and entertaining pattern of spiraling chaos of insanity. Gyllenhaal’s is a different type of Frankenstein adventure, one much more akin to a more serious version of Young Frankenstein (1974). That is because there are moments where both the stars and audiences will dazzle like they are Puttin’ On The Ritz. There is a moment that feels very much like an homage to Young Frankenstein , for grown-ups. Buckley and Bale are the creatures of a joyful and dark comedy. The Bride! provides layers of backstory to blend in with the comedic scenes. Many of which are both of them trying to find out why the world is sensitive to their existence. The answer would be because they are not normal.
The Bride and Frankenstein is constantly hungry for connection to their habitats of the natural world, and Gyllenhaal dives into making this a detective-type film as well. That is because the = two detectives that are investigating The Bride and Frankenstein. The primary detective is Jake Wiles, played by Peter Saarsgard (Presumed Innocent, September 5th). His assistant is Myrna Mallow and she is played by Penelope Cruz (On the Fringe, Ferrari). Both are working together to find the pattern of logistics and behaviors with The Bride and Frankenstein. That is because they view them as a threat to society and other political factors relating to criminality. The film is collaborative with making two parties tango. They are monsters and detectives running all over the place trying to embrace the human world. The Bride and Frankenstein are trying to stay afloat while navigating the many habitats they enter. The detectives Jake and Myrna are trying to create a case to build their profile. The film is a cat-and-mouse game that continues to bring out quirky, yet surreal adventures.
Target Score: 8/10 The Bride! is a visual portrait of new monsters and suspenseful new ideas. The Bride! utilizes a playful tone in order to illuminate the chaotic nature of death and rebirth through sketchy and quirky moments.