“Die My Love” Is Smaller Than Life

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson work hard to bring a sense of reality to this intense drama about marriage and motherhood. Watching Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love” without knowing it was based on a novel created a frustrating impression that the film denied its main character, Grace (played by Lawrence), a deep inner life.

Later, reading Jia Tolentino’s profile of Lawrence in this magazine, which references the original novel by Argentine writer Ariana Harwicz, revealed a stark contrast. The book is a first-person, confessional narrative, full of expressive intensity.

“That book, quoted in the piece, is a first-person narrative, intimately confessional and expressively aflame.”

Seeing the novel’s excerpts made me realize a richer film was hidden beneath the one I had seen, suggesting the movie's emptiness stems from a failure in adaptation. I hesitate to call “Die My Love” misconceived, as it focuses on Grace’s emotional turmoil in the months after giving birth.

At the beginning, Grace and her husband Jackson (Pattinson) arrive at their new home, a fixer-upper in Jackson’s rural hometown. The house carries heavy memories—it once belonged to his uncle Frank, who recently died by suicide.

Summary

The film struggles to capture the novel's emotional depth, resulting in a portrayal of motherhood and marriage that feels diminished and less intimate than its source material.

The New Yorker — 2025-11-04

“Die My Love” Is Smaller Than Life

Summary

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