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Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley play Frankenstein and his lover.
Image: © 2026 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved.
Maggie Gyllenhaal's "The Bride!" is a punky horror romance with loud feminist slogans. As the Bride of Frankenstein, Jessie Buckley lets the shreds fly in the fight against the patriarchy.
Another movie about Frankenstein? Just last fall, master director Guillermo del Toro presented his Netlix-produced interpretation of the cult figure from Mary Shelley's novel. In it, he explores the humanity in the monster in a magical and touching way - and vice versa, the monster in the human.
However, in Maggie Gyllenhaal's second directorial effort ("The Lost Daughter"), she focuses less on the character Frankenstein himself and more on the woman who is to become his companion.
The story is set in Chicago in the 1930s and leads right into the dark, shady underworld of organized crime. Together with other young women, Ida(Jessie Buckley) is employed there as a "companion" for the dubious gangsters. When she speaks out loudly against the abusive behavior of one of the men, the situation escalates and ends in a fatal accident for Ida.
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Ida's body is retrieved from her grave a few days later - by Frank(Christian Bale), the 100-year-old "Frankenstein's monster" and Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening). Frank has sought out the scientist so that she can help him create a bride for him. Using Euphronius' special high-voltage-based method, they bring Ida back to life. Frank is fascinated by her shrill, wild nature. But she quickly discovers a greater purpose for herself - and wants revenge on the men who have wronged her and many other women.
The message that Maggie Gyllenhaal spreads with "The Bride!" comes across clearly, loud and clear. Her film is a strong feminist statement.
A no is a no. But a simple "no" from a woman is unfortunately not always enough for chauvinistic pigs to understand. She also explicitly expresses this problem. The words of Ida, the "bride", are chosen more precisely: "No, I don't want that!" or "No, I don't want to be with ugly, fat, etc.".
And the woman who conveys these feminist messages is deliberately portrayed as a loud, punky rebel. Jessie Buckley gives the character both an out-of-control wildness and a sensuality. With her shrill look, she is reminiscent of a mixture of Cruella de Vil, Joker's girlfriend Harley Quinn and the Joker character himself.
There are further parallels to the Batman universe. The underground world with its shady gangster figures is reminiscent of Gotham and is similarly dark and characterized by corruption. And the love story is reminiscent of the one in "Joker: Folie à Deux". As in the musical, there are also musical scenes in "The Bride!". Ida and Frank deliver several dance interludes. The Gotham influence is no coincidence: Gyllenhaal himself played a part in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight".
Despite its important messages and appealing visual realization as a gothic horror romance, "The Bride!" fails to achieve sufficient emotional depth. The love story never really sparks because it takes a back seat to the heavy themes surrounding the exploration of the human abyss.
Narratively, the film also fails to really captivate. Although there are formative scenes or key moments, they do not have the necessary impact.
And many of the supporting characters, especially the gang of gangsters and the corrupt police officers, simply seem too superficial and clichéd. The performances of Penélope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard as detectives who lie in wait for the pair of monsters and show understanding for their actions are also not really convincing as clever and insightful characters.
Emotionality, profound dialog and a distinct character sketch fall somewhat by the wayside. But as a punky, loud feminist statement of a film, "The Bride!" works and visually it is strongly realized with the dark, dubious setting and the extravagant characters.
"The Bride!" is currently showing at blue Cinema.
