Review: ‘Die My Love’ is a Primal Scream of Maternal Rage
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a new mother struggling with her sanity, lashing out in unpredictable ways. Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay’s fifth feature, Die My Love, explores a provocative question through the lens of a mental health crisis: Can a wild woman be domesticated? The film hints at its answer early, but the audience only fully understands as the story unfolds.
The film follows a young couple, Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), who move into a new home and attempt to build a life together. What follows is so chaotic and intense that the unsettling destination feels inevitable in retrospect.
Creative Forces Behind the Film
Die My Love is a collaboration between three bold women: Jennifer Lawrence, who stars and produces; writer Ariana Harwicz, whose 2012 novel Matate, amor depicts a young mother unraveling in rural France; and Lynne Ramsay, a visionary director known for her powerful imagery and raw emotional storytelling. Ramsay adapted the novel alongside Enda Walsh and Alice Birch and took on directing duties, with Lawrence leading the cast.
A Raw Expression of Maternal Rage
The film delivers a raw, primal scream—not a plea for help but a fierce expression of maternal fury. Set in the decrepit house where Jackson’s Uncle Frank once lived and died, the couple fills the space with their fledgling family, including their baby Harry.
“Jackson suggests she write ‘the great American novel,’ while he might record an album. The possibilities are somehow endless in this decrepit, abandoned house, which they fill with their young life.”
The house symbolizes both decay and potential, framing the couple's turbulent and fragile existence.
Author’s summary: Die My Love portrays the chaotic, fierce reality of motherhood through Lynne Ramsay’s visionary direction and Jennifer Lawrence’s compelling performance, blending despair and strength in a haunting narrative.