Director Maggie Gyllenhaal<\/a> is defending the use of sexual violence in her new movie, \u201cThe Bride!,\u201d a Frankenstein spin-off that has left critics divided.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to say, I felt strongly that the sexual violence<\/a> had to be brutal, real, because if you gloss over it, it doesn\u2019t feel like the brutality that it is. And I got taken to task on that, too,\u201d she told Entertainment Weekly.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not believe that there is any aspect, not one bit of the sexual violence in the movie that is unconsidered or that is gratuitous,\u201d she continued. \u201cI am totally taking responsibility for my take on all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Gyllenhaal further noted that the incidents are part of a larger theme of general violence in the film.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kind of interested in violence, as you can tell in the movie,\u201d she explained. \u201cI\u2019m surprised sometimes by the response to the violence. People are like, \u2018It\u2019s a lot.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Set in 1930s Chicago, \u201cThe Bride!\u201d<\/a> follows Christian Bale as \u201ca lonely Frankenstein\u201d as he seeks out the help of groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious, portrayed by five-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening. Together, they revive a murdered woman in a bid to fulfill Frankenstein\u2019s need for companionship.<\/p>\n It also stars Oscar-nominated Jessie Buckley as the title character. She\u2019s currently up for Best Actress<\/a> at the Academy Awards this year for her work in \u201cHamnet.\u201d<\/p>\n Buckley was recently in New York for the film\u2019s premiere, donning an ensemble<\/a> from the Pre-Fall 2026 M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art collection by Chanel, Harper\u2019s Bazaar reported.<\/p>\n So far, the movie has drawn mixed reviews from critics, though most of them have nothing but praise for Buckley.<\/p>\n Writing for The Wrap, critic William Bibbiani declared Buckley\u2019s portrayal \u201cofficially the ultimate version<\/a> of The Bride of Frankenstein.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGyllenhaal\u2019s film is an inspired assault on the senses, a furious miasma of creativity and gall,\u201d he said. \u201cBuckley anchors this thing, delivering a full and nuanced performance which also requires \u2014 nay, demands \u2014 that she run rampant.\u201d<\/p>\n In his review for the Hollywood Reporter, critic David Rooney offered a different take on the film, calling it a \u201cbludgeoning feminist Frankenstein spin.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf any of this were amusing or suspenseful or frightening or tender or soulful or something, it wouldn\u2019t be such a joyless slog,\u201d Rooney said. \u201cBut the movie becomes like a shrill Bonnie and Clyde fever dream in which we have no reason to care about the fugitives.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26061446028347.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")