Review: Jennifer Lawrence Gives Everything to the Wild, Brutal 'Die My Love' but Gets Left Dangling
This messy Molotov cocktail by indie auteur Lynne Ramsay pairs Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson as flailing new parents who fight, bite, and destroy. The film explores the raw, unsettling reality of postpartum struggles through a harrowing, atmospheric lens.
Opening Atmosphere and Setting
The first shot of director Lynne Ramsay’s stubborn and exasperating postpartum nightmare Die My Love feels like a perfect opening for a horror movie. The camera lurks silently in the kitchen of an isolated ranch house, haunting and still like a ghost. Grace and Jackson (Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson) linger on the front porch of their newly inherited property, hesitant to enter. Their pause makes it clear these troubled young parents might be stepping into something dangerous.
Characters and Backstory
Jackson describes the rural home, left to him by his uncle who died violently upstairs, as “not New York but it’s ours.” Grace finds this violent backstory strangely humorous. Jackson grew up nearby and his parents, Pam and Harry (Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte), still live close by. Neither Grace nor Jackson discusses their previous city lives, but he dreams of playing drums, and she once claimed to be a writer. Their aspirations seem stalled from lack of passion, talent, or money.
Plot and Themes
They settle into the house, have a baby, and are plunged into overwhelming domestic chaos. The film portrays their deteriorating relationship and mental states with brutal honesty, often leaving the audience unsettled.
“It’s not New York but it’s ours,” Jackson says of the rural home, left to him by his uncle who died violently upstairs in a way that Grace finds hilarious.
Die My Love attempts to depict the dark realities of new parenthood, but its storytelling often feels disjointed, leaving characters and viewers alike emotionally adrift.
Author’s Summary
Jennifer Lawrence's intense performance anchors this raw, chaotic portrayal of postpartum despair, though the film’s uneven narrative leaves many questions unresolved.