Die My Love Review: Jennifer Lawrence Is Perfect In This Chaotic Psychological Drama

by

Lynne Ramsay often presents motherhood in unconventional ways. Her 2011 film was a disturbing thriller about a mother dealing with her son’s horrific act of violence, stemming from their distant relationship. While her new film, Die My Love, isn’t quite as bleak, it still explores a challenging and rarely seen side of being a mother.

The film Die My Love centers on Grace, who experiences a mental breakdown after moving from New York City to rural Montana with her partner, Jackson, and starting a family. Lawrence delivers a stunning and detailed performance as Grace, realistically portraying her declining mental state. However, the movie as a whole doesn’t quite reach the same impressive level as her acting, despite many believing she deserved an Oscar for the role.

Die My Love’s Tonal Uncertainty Mimics Grace’s Imbalanced Mental State

Honestly, it’s tough to even describe what this movie is. It deals with really heavy stuff, but then you’ll get these unexpectedly funny, even happy, moments. Most of the time, I felt like the director, Ramsay, was intentionally shifting the mood like that, but sometimes it just felt jarring and didn’t really add anything to the story. There were times it felt like the movie was just trying to shock you – like, ‘What crazy thing can we have this character do next?’ By the time it got to the scene with the pool and…well, let’s just say things escalated, I’d stopped being surprised or even trying to guess what was going to happen. It just felt a bit much.

The movie occasionally feels overly obvious. A scene where Grace, a writer struggling after having a baby, accidentally drips breast milk onto her writing paper is a good example. While visually striking, it feels unnecessary to emphasize how motherhood has changed her sense of self.

The film’s fast and chaotic style does a good job of showing how Grace’s mental state is falling apart, but it sometimes goes overboard and alienates viewers. As the movie progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell what’s real and what isn’t. This dreamlike quality is a bold move, but it occasionally feels excessive, turning what could have been an interesting and atmospheric film into a frustratingly confusing one.

The story also falls into a predictable pattern: Grace acts impulsively, and Jackson is left struggling to cope and unsure how to assist her. Robert Pattinson’s acting skills aren’t fully utilized, as the film clearly serves as a vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence – the author even specifically gave her the book hoping she’d adapt it. This leaves Jackson feeling underdeveloped. While Pattinson and Lawrence share good chemistry, both in their dramatic and intimate scenes, it’s difficult to truly connect with Jackson or grasp his reasons for doing things.

Several Strange Subplots Go Nowhere

The film Die My Love primarily focuses on Grace, which means the other characters aren’t explored in great depth. There’s a compelling connection between Lawrence’s character and Sissy Spacek, who plays Jackson’s mother, Pam. Both are dealing with significant transitions – Grace with the challenges of becoming a mother, and Pam with adjusting to life after her husband, Harry (played briefly and warmly by Nick Nolte), passes away. Pam’s grief manifests in unsettling ways, like sleepwalking with Harry’s shotgun, often wandering off into the countryside.

Grace consistently rejects Pam’s offers of support and understanding, which unfairly makes Pam seem like the bad guy. This creates a much more interesting tension between them than the more obvious relationship between Grace and Jackson, and I wish the movie had explored Pam’s character and motivations further. It’s odd that the film dedicates time to a bizarre detail about the previous owner of the house—how they died—but gives us so little insight into Pam’s life as Jackson’s mother.

The movie also features a strange subplot with LaKeith Stanfield. He plays Karl, a neighbor who becomes the focus of Grace’s sexual thoughts as her mental health declines. Grace’s strong, unfulfilled desires—and her unhappiness with Jackson, who is often away for work (the nature of his job is never really explained)—are central to understanding her emotional state.

The movie never really clarifies if Grace’s encounters with Karl – like him unexpectedly showing up on a motorcycle, her asking him to injure himself, or their secret meetings – actually happen, or if they’re all in her head. It mostly feels like the latter, but one scene in a grocery store parking lot is confusing. Karl seems genuinely panicked when Grace confronts him in front of his family, and it’s a moment that unnecessarily muddies the film’s meaning.

Jennifer Lawrence Is In Top Form

Even with the film’s issues, Jennifer Lawrence is consistently compelling to watch. Director Ramsay uses tight close-ups, and Lawrence perfectly portrays the many sides of Grace – from frightening emptiness to explosive anger and desperate panic – all through her facial expressions. It must have been a draining performance, especially considering she was several months pregnant during filming! She’s truly captivating, and even when the movie falters, her performance consistently pulls you back in. This is similar to her work in another challenging, yet strangely fascinating film, where she explored a different kind of maternal struggle.

“Die My Love” feels like an important step in Jennifer Lawrence’s career. After quickly becoming a major Hollywood star, she’s now choosing projects that clearly resonate with her. While the film isn’t perfect—it works better as an artistic experience than a traditional story—it’s thrilling to see Lawrence take such bold risks and explore such intense emotions, leaving audiences eager to see what she does next.

Read More

2025-11-11 06:37