Die My Love: An Exploration of Mad Love and Mental Illness
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, director Lynne Ramsay’s latest film is often described as a drama about postpartum depression, but it is actually a dark comedy about how everyday life can drive anyone to madness, according to film critic Sean Burns.
“We all go a little loopy the first year,” a kindly Sissy Spacek tells Jennifer Lawrence’s struggling young mother in Die My Love.
This phrase is a subtle understatement considering the film's intense portrayal of blood, fire, and swirling psychosis. Ramsay’s work continues her signature style of exploring mad love and mental illness through unsettling narratives that feel like fugue states.
The Glaswegian director focuses on psychological breakdowns from the inside, immersing the audience in the troubled minds of characters such as Samantha Morton’s grief-numbed girlfriend in her 2002 film Morvern Callar, and Joaquin Phoenix’s PTSD-afflicted vigilante in 2018’s You Were Never Really Here.
Die My Love, loosely adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel, follows Grace and Jackson, played by Lawrence and Pattinson. They are a stylish, partying couple from New York City who move into a dilapidated country house formerly owned by Jackson’s uncle.
The film blends morbidity with humor, illustrating how the struggles of daily existence can be enough to unhinge anyone’s sanity.
Author’s summary: Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love reveals how love and mental instability intertwine, using dark comedy to depict the thin line between everyday strain and madness.