Director Maggie Gyllenhaal is defending the use of sexual violence in her new movie, “The Bride!,” a Frankenstein spin-off that has left critics divided.
“I have to say, I felt strongly that the sexual violence had to be brutal, real, because if you gloss over it, it doesn’t feel like the brutality that it is. And I got taken to task on that, too,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
“I do not believe that there is any aspect, not one bit of the sexual violence in the movie that is unconsidered or that is gratuitous,” she continued. “I am totally taking responsibility for my take on all of that.”
Gyllenhaal further noted that the incidents are part of a larger theme of general violence in the film.
“I’m kind of interested in violence, as you can tell in the movie,” she explained. “I’m surprised sometimes by the response to the violence. People are like, ‘It’s a lot.’”
Set in 1930s Chicago, “The Bride!” follows Christian Bale as “a lonely Frankenstein” as he seeks out the help of groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious, portrayed by five-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening. Together, they revive a murdered woman in a bid to fulfill Frankenstein’s need for companionship.
It also stars Oscar-nominated Jessie Buckley as the title character. She’s currently up for Best Actress at the Academy Awards this year for her work in “Hamnet.”
Buckley was recently in New York for the film’s premiere, donning an ensemble from the Pre-Fall 2026 Métiers d’Art collection by Chanel, Harper’s Bazaar reported.
So far, the movie has drawn mixed reviews from critics, though most of them have nothing but praise for Buckley.
Writing for The Wrap, critic William Bibbiani declared Buckley’s portrayal “officially the ultimate version of The Bride of Frankenstein.”
“Gyllenhaal’s film is an inspired assault on the senses, a furious miasma of creativity and gall,” he said. “Buckley anchors this thing, delivering a full and nuanced performance which also requires — nay, demands — that she run rampant.”
In his review for the Hollywood Reporter, critic David Rooney offered a different take on the film, calling it a “bludgeoning feminist Frankenstein spin.”
“If any of this were amusing or suspenseful or frightening or tender or soulful or something, it wouldn’t be such a joyless slog,” Rooney said. “But the movie becomes like a shrill Bonnie and Clyde fever dream in which we have no reason to care about the fugitives.”
“The Bride!” currently rates a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, a bit below the 75% required for a “Certified Fresh” label.
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