Review: ‘Die My Love’ is a Primal Scream of Maternal Rage
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a new mother battling to keep her sanity, exhibiting wild and unpredictable behavior. Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay’s fifth feature, Die My Love, poses a provocative question under the veil of mental health: Can a wild woman be tamed?
The film begins with a young couple, Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), moving into a new home and trying to build a life together. What unfolds is so intense and unexpected that the ending feels inevitable yet shocking.
Creative Collaboration
Die My Love is the result of a collaboration between three daring women:
- Jennifer Lawrence, star and producer;
- Ariana Harwicz, author of the 2012 novel Matate, amor, about a young mother unraveling in rural France;
- Lynne Ramsay, a visionary filmmaker known for evocative imagery and blending despair with joy.
Ramsay adapted the novel alongside Enda Walsh and Alice Birch, directing with Lawrence in the lead role.
The film is "a ragged primal scream — not a cry for help, but a bellow of maternal rage."
Setting and Themes
Grace and Jackson move into a dilapidated house once owned by Jackson’s Uncle Frank, who died there. Jackson encourages Grace to write “the great American novel,” while he considers recording an album. This worn, neglected home becomes the backdrop for their fragile new life, including caring for baby Harry.
Author’s summary: Die My Love is an intense exploration of a mother’s volatile psyche, crafted by bold women filmmakers into a raw portrayal of maternal fury.