"Bridesmaid!": a film about love or feminism?

      It's foolish to compare the 2026 film with the iconic "Bride of Frankenstein" (16+) from 1935 — it only took the basics of the visual image of the heroine and the theatricality of the narrative. In her "remake," Gyllenhaal shifted the point of perception: now it's not an analysis of "can a monster be and live like a human," but rather a transformation of the heroine herself and her liberation from the constraints of established boundaries. This approach is more reminiscent of the film "Bride" (18+) from 1985, where the director named the monster's partner Eva and tried to create an image of a "modern emancipated woman — independent and free from prejudice" (quote not mine). We see a similar direction in "Bride!" 2026.

      However, I didn't want to emphasize this during the viewing, nor now as I write this review. Sorry, but I prefer to decline.

      Because what truly deserves attention is how love is portrayed in this film. Let's be honest: "Bride!" is not a story about one gender's independence from another, but about love. And not about love-dependence, not about the merging of two solitude, but about love that becomes possible only after a person finds themselves.

      Throughout the entire runtime, the heroine (Jessie Buckley) tries to remember herself before the "accident": her name, occupation, what connected her to Frank (the Frankenstein monster, Christian Bale), and who she really is. Through a stream of lies and ignorance, she chooses a new name for herself — Bride, without prefixes and a past. And already in her new role, having realized herself as a person, she chooses to be in a relationship with Frank. She confesses that she loves him. Not because he "created" her, not because she has nowhere else to go, but because now she has a "self," and this "self" wants to be with him. She can only prioritize saving her beloved after she has stopped saving herself — more precisely, after she has found herself.

      This, in my opinion, is the main meaning of the film. It’s not about feminism in a blunt, poster-like sense. It’s about how love cannot substitute for one's own identity. First — figure out who you are. Then — decide with whom you want to be.

      The film itself is enjoyable to watch due to its visuals, actors, musical accompaniment, and richness. It’s a kind of blockbuster about two monsters that show the audience a simple truth: true feelings are only possible when both accept them, already knowing themselves and not losing themselves in each other.

      Rating 4/5