A Blood-Splattered Eva Mendes Quizzes Christina Hendricks in a Clip From Ryan Gosling's 'Lost River' (Exclusive)

Don’t worry, that isn’t real blood splattered all over Eva Mendes’ face… or, at least we hope it isn’t.

In this clip from Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River, the film’s star Christina Hendricks goes backstage at a mysterious nightclub that hosts a horrifying variety show for perverse men. Her character, Billy, is introduced to the place by a twisted financial adviser played by Ben Mendelsohn (when is he not twisted?) as a way of earning some money so that she can keep her crumbling home in a dying town. 

Billy and her children are the only people left in the neighborhood, which has largely been reduced to rubble in the years after following the government’s decision to open a dam and flood several surrounding towns. There are no jobs to be had, which leads Billy to this dire decision.

The club’s leading star, Cat, is played by Mendes, who is Gosling’s real-life partner. Her character not only simulates her own death on stage, she also books other acts when she’s not covering herself in blood for the gratification of paying customers.

It’s a dark scene, but then, so is the entire film as it follows the lengths to which Billy will go to keep a roof over the heads of her two sons (Iain De Caestecker and Landyn Stewart)

Lost River debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last year. It hits theaters in limited release and will be available on VOD on Friday.

Watch the trailer below: