Movie Review: Die My Love

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Screened at Stockholm International Film Festival 2025

This psychological thriller features a talented cast fully committing to a story that’s unsettling, demanding, and sometimes difficult to watch.

Directed by Lynne Ramsay and featuring Jennifer Lawrence, Sissy Spacek, and Robert Pattinson, Die My Love is a tense and unsettling psychological thriller. Based on Ariana Harwicz’s novel, the film explores the intense challenges faced by a new mother battling postpartum psychosis, set against a rural backdrop. The movie begins with a chaotic and energetic opening that immediately establishes its raw, unpredictable, and emotionally powerful atmosphere.

The film is striking and beautifully made, but also quite difficult to watch. A major draw is the unexpected yet effective pairing of Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. The movie centers on Lawrence’s intense performance, which can be both captivating and overwhelming. Though she fully commits to the role, the film doesn’t allow for much emotional connection, keeping viewers somewhat detached. Lawrence is clearly embracing bold new roles, completely immersing herself in the character of Grace. Driven by instinct and a lack of restraint, Grace acts impulsively, driven by a need to escape boredom and loneliness, and often disregards social norms.

She’s having a hard time adjusting to the situation, acting alongside Pattinson as Jackson, a character intentionally kept in the background. He plays a subtle supporting role, though he sometimes matches Lawrence’s intense energy. Both stars occasionally go a bit too far with their performances, but Sissy Spacek is a calming presence, delivering a realistic and balanced performance that keeps the film grounded.

Spacek’s performance provides a grounding presence in a film that otherwise feels chaotic. Die My Love has a tense and unsettling quality, fitting its intense themes. While visually striking and engaging, the film’s raw emotion, bold performances, and unique style create a deeply unsettling and memorable experience.

“We could be in love like Romeo & Juliet…”

This technique ends up being more frustrating than engaging, pushing the audience away from the characters and making the world feel unpleasant. While the over-the-top style calms down a bit towards the end, it’s too late – a disconnect has already formed, making it hard to feel invested in anyone. This emotional distance, combined with a constant sense of unease and excessive experimentation, becomes exhausting. Certain scenes, particularly those involving animals, worsen this problem – they might reflect the main character’s inner turmoil, but at the expense of keeping the audience connected.

This intense and visually striking psychological thriller shares a similar chaotic energy with films like Natural Born Killers. The adaptation is beautifully poetic and takes bold risks, delivering some truly impactful scenes. However, it struggles as a purely entertaining film. Its fragmented storytelling, uneven performances, and challenging tone create distance between the audience and the characters. The film, much like its protagonist Grace, rushes forward with a reckless abandon that hinders emotional connection and empathy. While the artistry is apparent, Die My Love‘s harshness and abrasive style ultimately make it difficult to enjoy, despite the strong elements it contains.

The bottom line: Disconnected

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2025-11-18 10:43