‘Die My Love’ Explores Mad Love and Mental Illness
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, director Lynne Ramsay’s latest film has been somewhat misleadingly marketed as a drama about postpartum depression. In reality, it is a morbid comedy illustrating how everyday life can drive anyone to the edge of sanity, 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 understatement contrasts with the intense blood, fire, and psychosis in Ramsay’s darkly humorous and nerve-shredding film. Known for her unflinching explorations of mental breakdowns, Ramsay creates movies that feel like fugue states, delving deeply into the haunted minds of her characters.
The Glaswegian director has previously portrayed psychological struggles from the inside out, such as Samantha Morton’s grief-numbed girlfriend in Morvern Callar (2002) and Joaquin Phoenix’s PTSD-afflicted vigilante in You Were Never Really Here (2018).
Based loosely on Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel, Die My Love follows Grace and Jackson (Lawrence and Pattinson), a trendy, hard-partying couple from New York City who move into a dilapidated country house once owned by Jackson’s uncle.
Author’s summary: Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love blends dark comedy with intense psychological exploration, revealing how ordinary life can unhinge even the strongest minds.
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