Jennifer Lawrence gives everything to the wild, brutal ‘Die My Love’ but gets left dangling

by

The opening scene of Lynne Ramsay’s challenging film, “Die My Love,” feels like it could launch a horror movie. The camera slowly observes the kitchen of a remote ranch house – quiet and ominous – as Grace and Jackson (Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson) cautiously explore their new home. They hesitate before going inside, building a sense that they’re about to make a bad decision. And the floral wallpaper? It’s unsettling enough to drive anyone mad.

Jackson describes their country home as not being New York City, but it’s home nonetheless. It was inherited from his uncle, whose death upstairs Grace finds strangely amusing. Both Jackson and Grace grew up in the area, and his parents still live close by. They don’t discuss their previous lives in the city, but Jackson misses playing the drums, and Grace used to say she was a writer. It feels like their ambitions have been put on hold, perhaps due to money, lost interest, or a lack of ability. They decide to settle down, have a child, and embrace the resulting everyday mayhem.

It feels inevitable that Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson have finally starred together in a challenging, thought-provoking film – which makes it surprising it’s their first collaboration. Both actors rose to fame around the same time, transitioning from teen stars to respected, ambitious performers, and now, as new parents, they’ve taken on a movie about the struggles of parenthood and dashed dreams. Lawrence has two young children, and Pattinson has one, and this film is definitely not for them – maybe once they’re in college!

Ramsay presents Jackson and Grace’s relationship as intensely physical and unconventional. Their flirting takes the form of roughhousing – they nuzzle, sniff, bite, and wrestle, treating it as foreplay, with Grace enjoying it more than Jackson. The catch? They struggle to communicate verbally. Jackson cautiously suggests talking when Grace becomes increasingly agitated, but she prefers to scream. When they truly fight, their bodies convulse with anger. And when they’re not engaged in this intense physicality, each of them seems to shut down – Grace literally collapses, hinting at the enormous effort they both put into maintaining the relationship.

Movies

The new film from this director features Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson as a couple who move into a house they’ve inherited, and their relationship begins to unravel. The director adds a strong sense of tension and passion to this story.

Adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel by Ramsay, Enda Walsh, and Alice Birch, “Die My Love” portrays parenthood as a suffocating and overwhelming burden. Grace, the main character, is struggling and her attempts to cope only make things worse. The original novel is filled with intense, negative thoughts – it begins with the character questioning how someone as flawed and troubled as herself could be a mother and wife. However, the adaptation, much like Ramsay’s previous work with Joaquin Phoenix in “You Were Never Really Here,” focuses on unspoken emotions, showing Grace’s inner turmoil through her actions rather than direct dialogue.

As a movie lover, I was immediately gripped by the unsettling tension in this film. It begins subtly, with the main character, Grace, desperately trying to block out her inner turmoil by blasting children’s music – Alvin and the Chipmunks, Raffi, the whole deal. Then, a stray dog enters the picture, and things escalate. The sound design, by Tim Burns and Paul Davies, is brilliant – and honestly, a little torturous. They make sure that no matter where Grace goes in the house, she still hears that dog barking. It’s a masterful way to build anxiety and really get inside her head.

We don’t get much insight into who Grace really is, so she mostly comes across as a woman upset that a romantic encounter has ended. She desperately wants another one, pacing around her messy house which is filled with cheap beer. A mysterious, leather-jacketed biker occasionally drives by, seeming to consider a casual fling with her.

The way the film portrays Grace’s emotional pain feels overly dramatic and a little silly. It seems the filmmakers also want to suggest she’s preoccupied with the wrong issues. Her depression is visually represented with heavy use of blue lighting – so much so that it feels excessive. While the cinematography aims to show things from her perspective through blurry, swirling visuals, the effect is more frightening than empathetic. The jarring editing, with Grace violently breaking through doors, makes you feel scared of her, rather than feeling sorry for her.

Movies

This fall, movie fans have a lot to anticipate, including a Bruce Springsteen biopic, a film adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Running Man,’ and the next installment in the ‘Wicked’ story.

Jennifer Lawrence fully commits to her role, placing complete trust in the director. It’s not a gentle reliance, but a bold leap of faith. While Lawrence is a strong and dedicated performer, there were moments where I worried she was heading for a similar fate as Faye Dunaway in “Mommie Dearest” – a brilliant actress reduced to a punchline.

This character is fascinating because she refuses to accept pity. It’s admirable how Ramsay portrays her as a stark contrast to the overly positive and relatable depictions of motherhood we often see today. Grace actively distances herself from others, even ignoring well-meaning advice from the older women in her family, even when they’re right. Sissy Spacek’s character, Pam, offers genuine empathy, saying things like, “Everyone gets a little overwhelmed the first year,” but Grace dismisses it completely. (Spacek gives a wonderful and nuanced performance.) Despite being incredibly lonely – to the point of physically hurting herself – Grace rejects any attempts at connection, whether from cheerful mothers at the park or friendly cashiers. One cashier tries to be helpful by asking if Grace has found everything she needs, and Grace responds with a sarcastic, “In life?”

Pattinson plays a quieter, more withdrawn character, but his performance is incredibly nuanced and rewarding to watch. His portrayal of Jackson is heartbreaking – he’s helpless, timid, and constantly torn between wanting to comfort the mother of his child and avoiding her. There are moments with a hint of humor – like when he childishly begs to use the bathroom – that make you wish the film leaned more into these darkly funny moments. The potential for laughter is there, as seen when Jackson confesses he’s overwhelmed, and Grace dryly asks, “About what?”

One scene feels unnecessary because it tries to explain Grace’s motivations. The strength of the character is that she represents a universal cry from all parents, even those who are generally content. The author intentionally chose not to give Grace a name throughout the book.

Even within the story, Grace’s pain feels relatable to everyone. While she gets lost in the woods at night, her in-laws, Harry and Pam, also venture out there, each with their own motivations. Almost all the characters seem troubled, though Grace is too focused on her own struggles to notice or find solace in that. The director, Ramsay, seems to believe that feeling lost and unhappy is a common experience, and perhaps even a natural part of life.

Read More

2025-11-05 23:02