Jennifer Lawrence Goes Feral in the Beautiful, Frustrating Die My Love
Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love offers a striking platform for Jennifer Lawrence, blending beauty and frustration in equal measure. The film immerses viewers in the chaotic psyche of Grace, Lawrence’s character — a new mother unraveling under emotional strain.
“Everybody goes a little loopy the first year,”
a kindly and seemingly well-balanced mother tells Grace. Surrounded by women whose lives look polished and secure, Grace can only see the emptiness behind their comforting words. Unwell and restless, she pushes back against this forced normality, often through impulsive, reckless acts — like stripping down and diving into a pool.
Beneath her wild defiance lies Ramsay’s artistic refusal to conform. The director and co-writer sheds any polite expectations that her film will fit neatly into narratives about postpartum depression or mental illness. Instead, Ramsay seems to insist that Grace’s suffering defies diagnosis — that it is raw, unfiltered, and consuming.
Adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s novel, Die My Love embodies Ramsay’s signature tension: visually arresting, emotionally charged, and deeply unsettling. Like her previous works, it emerges after a long gap, a result of an industry often unkind to uncompromising female filmmakers. Between features, Ramsay occasionally turns to short films — a practice that first launched her career in the late 1990s.
Author’s Summary
Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love is a fiercely intimate and chaotic portrait of motherhood, brought to life by Jennifer Lawrence’s fearless performance and Ramsay’s unflinching direction.