THE DAILY BEAST: Maddie Ziegler’s SXSW ‘Traumedy’ ‘Bloody Hell’ Is Brilliant—With a Period Twist
March 19, 2023
"Vulnerable and fiercely funny, “Bloody Hell” stars Maddie Ziegler as a teen working through her relationship with body after a surprise diagnosis complicates her sexual awakening.
A trip to the gynecologist is rarely anyone’s favorite activity, but Maddie Ziegler has an especially bad time there in Molly McGlynn’s Bloody Hell. The “traumedy” made its debut at the SXSW Film Festival and finds Ziegler playing a 16-year-old named Lindy, who is determined to lose her virginity to her boyfriend but whose plans are delayed by an unexpected diagnosis—one that challenges her perceptions of womanhood, sexuality, and herself. Personal, raw, and at times wickedly funny, the film is an excellent showcase for Ziegler, whose natural performance leaves a lasting impression.
There’s a rainy quality hanging in the air of Bloody Hell, McGlynn’s sophomore follow-up to her 2017 debut Mary Goes Round. Lindy has recently moved into her grandmother’s old house with her mother, Rita—played by an especially thorny Emily Hampshire, formerly seen on Schitt’s Creek. (You can also catch Hampshire in fellow SXSW feature Appendage.)"
