In “Bleeding Love,” a concerned, unnamed father (Ewan MacGregor) drives to Santa Fe with his troubled daughter, Turbo (Clara MacGregor), secretly hoping to book her into rehab after a severe overdose. He also hopes to reconcile with his daughter since, much like his truck, their relationship has seen better days and is on the verge of a breakdown. However, just like the lyrics of the Leona Lewis song from which the movie borrows its title, Turbo is crippled by abandonment issues and closes herself off to his helping hand. Along the way, the estranged duo will befriend countless, amusing characters who are rays of healing sunshine. These include a sex worker with a robust spirit and a heart of gold (Vera Budler), who’s akin to the fairy godmother from “Cinderella.” However, they must remain alert for dodgy characters who aren’t as welcoming—and, of course, the occasional spider.
“Bleeding Love” is not your typical road trip movie, more a mature coming-of-age story in line with Taika Waititi’s “Boy,” which also focused on the return of an absentee parent. Much like the latter, “Bleeding Love” also features semi-biographical elements with input from Clara McGregor, credited as co-Writer along with Vera Bulder and Ruby Caster. It similarly maintains a fine balance between some schmaltzy and corny elements that co-exist among more complex topics, such as generational trauma and substance abuse without downplaying them.
A Film Detailing Subtle Growth
The writing and fleshed-out treatment of the film’s characters ensures that audiences also view its two leads in a sympathetic light; it excels at touching upon the plight of both the father and daughter. On one hand, Turbo’s father still perceives her to be the same happy-go-lucky young woman who would break into a jig every time he strummed the banjo. He also wants her to ‘get along’ with a step-brother whom she’s hardly spent time with or even met. Yet he is also never once considerate that she might form jealous tendencies towards her younger step-brother or feel compelled to compete with her male sibling for love and attention.
Another strength of this arc is the father’s subtle growth. We see this from his losing his air of condescension and entitlement to being more present for Turbo. He also learns that no amount of backseat driving (pardon the pun) will rescue his daughter from her demons, and to remain patient if he wishes for them to be on the same page. This includes hard lessons—such as giving her privacy and space—and the realisation that she needs to be guided through her healing journey.
However, “Bleeding Love” isn’t one-sided. It shows Turbo as someone languishing in denial who perceives her father as a stranger. She even attempts to run away during the trip, as if to punish her dad for contributing to her abandonment issues. But she benefits from her own arc. an arc The film follows her changing perception of her dad on his own journey. In time, she regains a childlike innocence as she realises she needs her father’s help now more than ever.
Full of Those Little Moments
“Bleeding Love” is also rife with motifs and imagery that run parallel—and often intersect—with its portrayal of the bond between Turbo and her dad. It also asks its audience to read between the lines. Instances of this include flashbacks to Turbo’s father’s careless parenting skills as he indulges in drunk driving with a young Turbo. This is juxtaposed with another, contemporary sequence showcasing similar reckless parenting as father and daughter are invited to a family gathering on one of their pits stops in a remote town, where a young boy plays with a real shotgun sans adult supervision.
Earlier in the movie, an eccentric tow truck driver who doubles as an ancient, Vedic astrologist offers them insight on the disconnect between her more powerful traditional astrology and the new generation’s ‘hipster techniques.’ It’s a metaphor that proves symbolic to the generational gap and distant nature between the twenty-year-old Turbo and her middle-aged father. The duo’s frequent pitstops themselves signify stepping stones as well as speed bumps that are encountered while en route to the road to recovery (for Turbo) and redemption (for her dad). The final destination involves a common goal that requires both to learn to let go of a regressive past and unload their emotional baggage in order to make amends.
Ewan and Daughter Clara Make a Good Pair
“Bleeding Love’s” pacing can be sluggish, but its performances move the linear storyline along. Ewan McGregor delivered a memorable act as a dad who’s afraid of losing his daughter again. He desperately seeks to spend quality time and precious moments with her—spent in sobriety—after years of numbed memories spent as a reckless parent with alcoholic and traumatic memories of his own. McGregor captures the inner pain of a character who is initially directionless—and helpless—to Turbo’s multiple relapses, and is not much help with his misguided passive aggressive jabs that stem from ignorance and impatience.
Yet at McGregor’s hands, he ultimately evolves into a caring parent brimming with ‘proud dad energy’ as he shows off photos of his talented daughter’s art pieces to hitchhikers (which he saves as a carousel in his phone’s gallery), and later by narrating anecdotes from his own experience as a recovering alcoholic. He also lends charm and naivete to the character during the film’s more humorous scenes, such as a chaotic and awkward turn of events that involves him growing hysterical after Turbo is bitten by an unidentified insect during a bathroom break. Aside him, McGregor’s daughter Clara holds her own as the misunderstood Turbo. The natural bond between the real-life father-daughter duo also reflects through their on-screen banter and chemistry. It’s best seen in a cutesy duet as the pair sings “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis as it plays over the radio.
An Anthem for Needed Change
Overall, “Bleeding Love” is a contemplative film that resounds with its sensitive execution and its relatable message of wanting to change and climb out of a self-destructive rut. It shows motivation to do this not just for others, but for ourselves, and how sometimes a trust fall is all that’s necessary to bring about needed change.
“Bleeding Love” is set to release in cinemas across the UK starting April 12th.
