The postpartum experience almost feels like a lottery. For those women who draw the short straw, it’s as if a certain kind of dread creeps in quietly, not with loud scares or overt tragedy but through the slow unraveling of everyday life. Die, My Love (2025), the first movie from acclaimed Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Ratcatcher) since her 2017 neo-noir psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here, taps into these bursts of mundane terror. The film presents a visually arresting and often unsettling portrait of motherhood and isolation. It demands your patience, sometimes too much, not because it lingers but because it jolts.
What unfolds in Die, My Love is less about plot and more about psychological descent, a downward spiral that at times frustratingly refuses any semblance of resolution. We first meet Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), newly expectant parents, as they explore their new leaf-littered and slightly disparaged rural Montana home, which previously belonged to Jackson’s late Uncle. They frolic upon the wooden floorboards, letting loose to a symphony of rock music. Their love is pure, both emotionally and physically. This is the only glimpse (other than a singular flashback) that we get at the couple’s romance and relationship before being thrust months into the future following the arrival of their baby boy.
A Mother on a Crib’s Edge
There is nothing gradual about Grace’s postpartum condition; her mental deterioration is a plunge rather than a descent. When we next see the new mother on a seemingly never-ending plot of land, she crawls on all fours through tall, straw-like grass with a knife gripped firmly in her palm as her baby sits in a bouncer on the porch deck, letting out soft cries. Upon arriving home, Jackson appears unfazed by the baby’s solitary circumstances and heads for the fridge to retrieve a bottle of beer. This interaction alone epitomises the couple’s newborn dynamic that will persist for the rest of this tale.
What ensues for Grace is beyond postpartum depression — it’s total psychosis. Other than Jackson’s mother, who is wrestling with her own sanity as a result of being recently widowed, Grace has no support system and is truly isolated. She rarely interacts with anyone outside of her tiny social circle, except for the convenience shop clerk she purchases Kraft mac and cheese from, and an elusive motorcyclist named Karl (LaKeith Stanfield) who gawks through his tinted helmet with each drive by the couple’s corroded country home.
Fever Dreams and Fragile Desire
The affair that ensues between Grace and the motorcyclist stems from her insatiable need to feel desired, a yearning that Jackson has repeatedly failed to satisfy. It’s difficult to distinguish whether these short sequences are rooted in reality or a product of her imagination, as her fingers, bloodied and bandaged from a rage-filled encounter with some floral wallpaper, caress Karl’s shoulder blades. There is great potential in this lustful affair, but it ultimately remains underdeveloped and lacks narrative substance, unfortunately rendering it futile.
Die, My Love is also irregularly paced, often going from zero to one hundred, making for a confounding viewing experience. Admittedly, this is by design, as this kind of erratic structure resonates deeply with the unpredictable nature of psychosis. This intensity is continuously amplified by the movie’s unsettling sound design, consisting of a cacophony of zipping flies, baby screams, and the incessant barking of an unwanted dog. It’s anxiety-inducing to the point of giving the audience physical flinches, further submerging you in Grace’s emotional disposition.
Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in Total Dissonance
Coming after her two most recent acting roles in Causeway (2022) and No Hard Feelings (2023), Jennifer Lawrence is the robust centerpiece of Die, My Love. The prosperity of the story rests entirely on her shoulders, and she delivers on all fronts, conjuring a valiant screen presence that affirms her rightfully earned movie-star status. The cognitive whiplash and animalistic physicality displayed in her performance keep the film afloat when it occasionally drifts into dry repetition.
Meanwhile, Robert Pattinson, who’s currently on a roll after Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 (2025) and with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and The Batman Part II (hopefully) coming down the line, assimilates into the role of Jackson skillfully. He clearly understands his role in uplifting Jennifer Lawrence rather than overpowering her. This isn’t to say that there aren’t moments where the two clash on screen. Their chaotic and haphazard emotions peak during heated exchanges, be it whispered screams while the baby naps or when Jackson physically drags and buckles Grace into a car.
Where the Frame Holds, the Feeling Fades
There is plenty to value about Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love, but there is equally as much left to be desired. Ramsay’s precise vision and formidable theatrics are hindered by the screenplay’s lack of narrative coherence. Adapted from Ariana Harwicz‘s 2017 novel by Ramsay and famed playwrights Alice Birch (The Wonder, The End We Start From) and Enda Walsh (Small Things Like These, Disco Pigs), Die, My Love opts for a far more abstract interpretation of mental illness and postpartum depression. However, despite this bold effort, the movie fails to add anything substantial to the conversation. Thus, the third-act finale, which is seemingly constructed to be an incredibly stirring climax, leaves little authentic impact.
Die, My Love has all the ingredients needed to be a winner. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson are undeniably in peak form, and writer-director Lynne Ramsay pushes viewers to the edge of their seats with nail-biting tension and a haunting atmosphere. Yet, due to its lackluster script, Die, My Love is constantly weighed down to the point of its detriment. What we are left with is an honorable, gripping psychological drama with wasted potential.
Die, My Love premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival!
Release Date: TBD.
Directed by Lynne Ramsay.
Written by Lynne Ramsay, Enda Walsh, & Alice Birch.
Based on Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz.
Produced by Martin Scorsese, Jennifer Lawrence, Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, Thad Luckinbill, Justine Ciarrocchi, & Andrea Calderwood.
Executive Producers: Bruce Franklin, Jamin O’Brien, & Rachel Smith.
Main Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte, & Marcus Della Rosa.
Cinematographer: Seamus McGarvey.
Composer: Ben Frost.
Production Companies: Black Label Media, Excellent Cadaver, & Sikelia Productions.
Distributor: Mubi.
Runtime: 118 minutes.
