A Review of Die My Love - Leeds International Film Festival

Director Lynne Ramsay has never been deterred by challenging material, and her adaptation of

Ariana Harwicz’s novel Die, My Love is no exception. I was lucky enough to view an early

screening of the highly anticipated film at Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) and, despite the

mixed commercial reception, I found myself siding with the contrastingly positive view taken by

critics. Ramsay’s consistent and bold direction makes Die My Love an immersive experience that

demands to be seen.

The film follows Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) in her new life as a mother, and the postpartum

depression that comes with it, as her world crumbles beneath her. Her tethers to the world around

her fracture, and a descent into troubled isolation begins as she loses relationships with her

husband (Robert Pattinson), her mother-in-law (Sissy Spacek), and herself in the process. Die My

Love is ultimately an exploration of society’s discomfort with mental health crises, and it

challenges the norm as we witness the implosion of idealised Americana.

Although compared to Mother! due to the overt similarities (J-Law in a baby-based crisis), I feel as

though Die My Love can become a favourite for fans of Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Lars von

Trier’s Melancholia or even Věra Chytilová’s Daisies. All these films share a frenzied dreamlike

atmosphere and explore their subject matters in relation to the societies characters find

themselves in conflict with.

One aspect of the film that helps to establish this command over a distinct atmosphere is the

lighting design and cinematography of Seamus McGarvey. Shots frequently centre and through

perspective enlarge characters, juxtaposing them against the expanses around them. This effect

induces the claustrophobia of walking through barren fields, emanating surrealist Americana and

effectively conveying Grace’s feeling as though she is unable to escape herself and her all-

consuming isolation. This is amplified by McGarvey’s decision to use day-for-night lighting and

exteriors, with the many night scenes being shot in the day to create an uncanny and surreal

effect.

And yet, the public response to the film has been overall middling, which I think can be attributed

to a subversion of audience expectations. Despite featuring two of the most popular working

actors, Ramsay’s approach to direction strays from the norm, with her central focus when

translating the text onto screen being the surrealist elements of the novel, which also define the

film: an absence of traditional narrative structure, and distinct, few and secluded settings. The

cyclical and repetitive narrative requires its audience not to fight against it or try to solve what’s

going on, but rather to accept the chaos they’re presented with and let Grace’s world consume

them.

Despite the strength shown by Ramsay over these areas, an aspect of the film that could have

been more developed is the significance of Grace’s loss of her identity as a writer. We only learn

about her life as a creative, something one would imagine to be incredibly significant to lose, in

passing conversation. It could be seen as Ramsay deconstructing the idea of identity being

stripped down by the labels you’re forced to bear. However, when the film requires you to be so

taken with the protagonist for its entire runtime, this approach can impact the understanding of and

connection to the character. Still, Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is phenomenal, driving these

concerns away as she delivers a rich portrayal of nuanced and personal material, for which she

has now been nominated for a Golden Globe.

Die My Love is by no means an easy ride, but if you fancy challenging yourself to release

expectations and let Ramsay take you where she knows you need to go, you will be won over just

as I was. It’s going to be available to stream on MUBI from December 23rd.

Thank you again to LIFF for the opportunity to watch a film with such a strong sense of direction.

Words by Nina Riley, she/her