Muscles. 1980s. K-Stew. Sudden gore. Honestly, it should come as no surprise that Love Lies Bleeding is one of my favourite films of 2024. Directed by Rose Glass, of Saint Maud fame, the film nestles a sapphic love story within a surreal crime caper, all backdropped by the New Mexico high desert. The southwest aesthetic, a dreamy kaleidoscope of colours, straddles both city grit and unknown wilderness in a way that perfectly matches the story.
Stewart stars as gym owner Lou, whose life gets shot to hell when she meets Jackie, played by Katy O’Brian, a bodybuilder with dreams of fame. Their romantic plans take a… sour turn but manage to remain darkly comedic amid all the blood. Naturally, this film ticked all of my boxes, and so I had to track down as many of its locations as possible– hey, I can now say that I’ve sat where K Stew sat and I’ve flexed where Katy O’Brian flexed!
Why New Mexico Was Chosen for Love Lies Bleeding
During the scripting stages, Glass and co-writer Veronica Tofilska went back and forth on two locations for the film. “By the time we got to the script stage, it was always America. But in that brainstorming stage, for some reason, it was a toss-up between America and Scotland.
I couldn’t quite tell you why. It was maybe that I just liked the idea of muscley Glaswegian butches and that could have been a fun world to set [the film] in. But the story just made the most sense in America,” Glass told The Hollywood Reporter.
Once Glass settled on the American southwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico became the stand-in for the anonymous city at the film’s heart. for the film. Glass and her team, including director of photography Ben Fordesman, spent time months ahead of official preproduction scouting specific locales within the city.
“Did you have a specific area [of Albuquerque] dressed?” Tofilska asks Glass on the filmmaker commentary during the scene when Jackie and Lou argue outside of Lou’s truck in the middle of the night. “No, basically that bar had lights like that outside so it was this one period appropriate bar in the background,” Glass explains.
“To be honest, when we looked around Albuquerque I was like ‘this is great it looks period appropriate already!” So you just have to avoid certain things but mostly it’s just getting people to move cars.”
Key Locations
The Diner Where Lou Meets Daisy
Cafe 66, 9200 Central Ave NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121
I love a diner scene. They anchor stories within a place familiar to most– a public setting stuffed with meaning and comfort, with seating arrangements that encourage perfectly-crafted shots. We’ve all experienced scrappy eateries like Cafe 66 and it’s largely why the production settled on it. “It basically looks like this,” says Glass on the commentary. “We changed very little.”
The booth where Lou (Kristen Stewart) tries to subtly manipulate Daisy (Anna Baryshnikov) into not dropping Jackie in it is located along the wall of windows. It’s easy to spot with a comparison pic.
Cafe 66 is located on the outskirts of the city, on a dusty road with few other establishments nearby. At first glance it appears almost abandoned. But once you park and enter, it hits you: this is a gem.
Barely updated, it remains clean and welcoming, the fixtures and fittings of an epoch that’s long since passed. It’s the quintessential diner. It should come as no surprise that it appears in many movies and TV shows including Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Stranger Things season 4.
The owner Hector and one of the waitresses Myra could not have been friendlier. I asked permission to film, and Hector joked that it was fine as long as I didn’t get him in any of the footage. We grabbed food to go along with two fountain cokes. The latter came served over pebble ice. I’m not sure whether it was the heat, or the fact this was our first location of the day, but that was the best damn coke I’ve ever had.
How to Get There
Surprise, surprise – it’s just off Route 66. It’s not difficult to locate if you plug the address into maps.
Traveler’s Tip: We visited mid-week and popped in 30 minutes before closing. Bear in mind they shutter earlier than you might expect at 3pm. Grab a road coke, it’ll make your day.
The bodybuilding competition Jackie attends in Las Vegas
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
Chain hotels are rarely regarded as bastions of architecture. Regardless, the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albuquerque serves as a convincing stand-in for a hotel in downtown Las Vegas.
I’m constantly amazed to learn that the fragments of movie frames that our psyches register and take for granted are often computer-generated. And I’m not referring to the larger-than-life nature of superheroism. I’m talking about the little details which could easily be real life.
Take the background of this shot; that ain’t Vegas, baby– it’s downtown Albuquerque near the interstate. The moment when Jackie arrives at the bodybuilding competition was filmed at the drop-off zone outside the main lobby. As the van pulls up, the middle distance is alive with a string of hotels dotting the Vegas strip.
Several additional sequences were also lensed within the hotel’s event spaces. The backstage area where Jackie preps for the show and the actual ballroom itself where she performs. Despite our best efforts to snap photos, they were all locked when we stopped by. Typically I would have asked staff but we were there during Balloon Fiesta and they were swamped!
How to Get There
It’s not difficult. Once you’re parked, just head to the main entry to the lobby. Several additional sequences were also lensed here in the hotel’s event spaces– the backstage area where Jackie preps for the show and the actual ballroom itself, but they were all locked when we stopped by.
Additional filming locations from Love Lies Bleeding
- Underpass: Jackie sleeps here and works out in the morning, 2052 Commercial St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102.
- Louville gun club: Exteriors where we see Jackie and JJ walk around were shot at the Del Norte Gun Club, 208 Torcido Rd NW, Rio Rancho, NM 87144.
Map of Locations
208 Torcido Rd NW, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87144
2052 Commercial Street Southeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
1901 University Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
9200 Central Avenue Northwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121
Writing this post up after the fact, it’s funny to realise we only tracked down two locations. That’s the weird mismatch of memory to effort, though; I spent weeks trying to find where they filmed Lou’s gym, home, and the bar where Jackie and Lou exit the truck mid-fight. While I know they’re in the Rio Rancho area, it’s not exactly a small suburb, more of a sprawl. I hope to track them down next time I’m in New Mexico.
Locations I’m still looking for:
- Lou’s home (think it’s in Rio Rancho)
- Lou’s gym (ditto)
- The bar where Lou and Jackie stop and argue in the middle of the night
- The chinese restaurant
If you can help out with these or any other locations not covered here, please drop me a line!
Make It a Day Trip
Here is my suggested itinerary if you want to make it a day trip:
1Arrive in Albuquerque. If you land at the Albuquerque International Sunport, be a doll would ya and look out for the Stranger Things season 4 airport locations? I tried, but so much of it is under construction I couldn’t find them.
2. Grab a beverage at local roastery Satellite Coffee then head straight out to the Del Norte Gun Club. We didn’t visit on this past trip (even though we were in Rio Rancho) but it’s a decent trek from downtown. While you’re in the vicinity scope out the suburbs from the 2011 Fright Night remake (and let me know please!)
3. If you’re peckish, stop by Twisters. Look, locals may pooh pooh it and that’s fair, but as a Brit who lives in Washington state, it was pretty damn tasty at a good price.
4. From here, drive down to Cafe 66 and snag yourself a comfy spot in one of the booths. If you didn’t snarf down a burrito at Twisters, the taco salads here were delicious. The winner was the aforementioned fountain coke. With pebble ice.
5. Drive to the Underpass location where you can try and do pull-ups like Katy O’Brian? I don’t know. That looks a bit dangerous to be honest.
6. After you’ve finished hanging out at the underpass, take the short drive to Crowne Plaza. If you manage to get a peek at those event rooms, drop us a line in the comments!
7. From here, round out your afternoon with a pint at Bosque Brewing and or stop by Frontier restaurant for dinner.
Travel Tips for Visiting Love Lies Bleeding Locations
Best Time To Visit
Anytime of year really, but if you want to experience the madness of the city, visit during Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in September.
Other Sites Worth Seeing
Hike in the mountains, or you know, check out Walter White’s grave.
Nearby Filming Locations To Explore
What hasn’t filmed in New Mexico? Stranger Things season 4 lensed all over the city, in addition to the NM staples Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
