Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second directorial outing – The Bride! – is every bit as remarkable and original as her 2021 debut The Lost Daughter. What is most astounding though is just how entertaining and brilliant the film ends up being.
The film is a stylized retelling of the story of the Bride of Frankenstein told from the point of view of the Bride herself. This character, initially named Ida, played brilliantly by the increasingly impressive Jessie Buckley, has become inhabited by the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley – the author of the novel Frankenstein in 1818 – as well as a few other headstrong female characters. When Ida begins exhibiting signs of these other personalities – mostly in her outward exhibiting of her sexuality, her behavior is frowned upon by her male counterparts and she pays the ultimate price for this.
But, then, the film introduces Frank (Christian Bale) – aka the Monster – as he seeks out Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) as a possible source to help him end his tortured lonely existence by creating a mate for him. As doctor and monster relive the “Frankenstein” story by digging up and reanimating the corpse of a freshly deceased woman, the film seems likely to follow a horror trope to a certain degree.
However, the film defies expectations and breaks the borders between multiple genres as Frank and his Bride seek a life of independence and safety away from the dangers that humankind may bestow upon them. At one point, the couple crash a high society dinner party and end up leading the other guests in a dance that echoes the best of the old Hollywood musicals as well as hinting at Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. Then, later on, the film shifts gears once again and delivers an homage to Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967). In between, there are enough additional nods to other films (including Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein [1974]) and genres to ensure film students are furnished with an endless source of topics for years to come.
Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley in “The Bride!”
Once again, Buckley delivers a performance that signals a startling brilliant talent that portends a torrent of great things to come in the future. The flexibility she displays between the character of the Bride and the past lives she has endured, betwixt with the spirits that now seemingly inhabit her psyche as well, would play as over-the-top if handled by someone with less talent than the actress delivers here. While her performance is the tour de force of the film, the portrayal of the lonely Frank by Bale is equally as haunting and memorable since, given the understanding that Bale bestows upon the character’s isolated existence, the portrayal ultimately rivals that of Boris Karloff’s in James Whale’s heralded 1931 adaptation of Shelley’s novel.
Strong performances from everyone involved, along with a plethora of input from contributors like cinematographer Lawrence Sher and editor Dylan Tichenor, allow Gyllenhaal’s film to transcend the genre one might first expect the story to adhere to. Instead, the film leads the viewer on a wildly rewarding ride that ultimately results in The Bride! likely being one of the best films of the year.
| Producer: | Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Talia Kleinhendler, Osnat Handelsman-Keren |
| Release Date: | March 6, 2026 |
| Running Time: | 126 minutes |
| Starring: | Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz, John Magaro, Julianne Hough |
| Writer: | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
| MPAA Rating: | R (for strong/bloody violent content, sexual content/nudity and language) |
| Director: | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
| Distributor: | Warner Bros. |
| External Info: | Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / X (TWITTER) / #TheBrideMovie |
