Discussion - The Bride!
This is a discussion - as such it will contain spoilers from the film The Bride! (2026) Read at your discression.
The Bride!is written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhall. It includes Christian Bale as the famous monster, Frankenstein, somehow both simultaneously the subject of Mary Shelly’s classic, as well as actually brought to life over a century prior to the events of the film. Jessie Buckley plays the titular character who goes through more names and identities than you can shake a stick at as the couple or duo or whatever go on a rampage of several sorts.
The movie is weird in that it’s got all sorts of creative direction happening throughout the film - from an incredible sequence of Buckley’s character falling down the stairs, to unexplained intrusions from Mary Shelley herself, to dance numbers, to a fair amount of gangster violence and neo-noire stylization. This movie is seriously all over the place, and it definitely keeps the plot going.
This movie’s got a ton of makings of a cult classic. Ultimately I think it takes itself too seriously and that it should have leaned into the camp instead of being shot as earnestly, but time will tell: maybe I’m not putting enough emphasis on the mad lexicon spewed by Merry Shelly inhabiting Ida or, once again, the insane dance sequences. I was also excited to see Bale’s batman voice coming back in the growliest and most over the top fashion.
When this came out, there was a lot of discussion about the film’s feminist themes. These are articulated by the true leads all being inhibited in their careers, or following in a man’s footsteps (the case of Annette Benning’s doctor being that she could only be successful with the help of her husband). The theme of women fighting for independence is further thrust forward by an awkward shot of The Bride’s influence on sort of neo-sufragettes around the country, and of course by Mary Shelley herself encouraging Buckley’s character to find her own name.
I’m not sure if Mary Shelley is used effectively here. Less a character and more of a personality quark of Ida’s character, she kicks off the film with a fascinating monologue and then proceeds to go largely unused except to cause mischief which Ida seems perfectly capable of doing on her own, or remind Ida that she’s her own person. It’s never really explained where Mary came from or why she tacked onto Ida, and it seems way too large of a coincidence for her to effectively get Ida killed at the beginning of the film and for her to be brought back by Frank 20 minutes later. The real Mary Shelley, like from my world, is believed to have been in favor of reformation through cooporation within the family: that a woman’s involvement and empowerment in the household ultimately leads to a better outcome than the individual seeking power for themselves. This is a counterpoint to the individualistic nature of Ida- perhaps to separate the introspection and self exploration that Ida goes through against the forces that be in the world she’s up against.
Her relationship with Frank, which from a narrative standpoint ultimately pissed me off, also follows this theme of identity. Frank goes and with Dr. Cornelia’s help resurrects this woman, without her consent, to be his bride. He then proceeds to lie to her throughout the vast majority of the film that they’ve always been together. That’s manipulation and gaslighting at it’s most toxic. While this is portrayed as Frank living out his fantasy (as evident by him dancing along in musical numbers to his favorite actor Ronnie Reed’s (played by Jake Gyllenhall) crooning, it’s suddenly shattered in a large standoff with police, and at that point the focus returns to Ida for the rest of the movie. Counter to the emotional manipulation, the physical stuff seems to be largely driven by Ida instead of by Frank, to the point that Frank even stops her when they first get carnal. This could be indicative of Frank’s intentions to not hurt her, or a depiction of him being emotionally immature. Ultimately it doesn’t matter: near the end of the movie after a brief fight about Frank lying to her and taking advantage of her lack of memories she ultimately forgives him and tries to save him with Dr. Cornelia’s help. Maybe that conclusion is a bit more in line with Mary Shelley’s philosophy. Maybe it’s indicative of Ida’s emphasis on the self (explaining she’s not The Bride of Frankenstein; she’s just The Bride!) and that even though she’s got a dude, she’s still her own person. Either way I think it makes way too light of a lot of shitty things Frank did in regards to consent and just being a toxic dude, intentionally or not.
Ultimately- this is a weird fucking movie that anyone will enjoy if they like stylized chaos, unrestrained creativity, and a lot of different styles of films coming through all at once. The dance numbers, the acting, and the lack of focus on being a gothic horror, neo noire, or feminist art piece do dilute the film, but lead to a variety that provides spectacle and is ultimately a ton of fun.
