DIE MY LOVE

Die My Love challenges viewers with its no holds approach to postnatal depression while adapting Ariana Harwicz’s novel that never sugarcoats the challenges faced by new mothers struggling with this condition, though thanks to a fearless and ferocious performance from Jennifer Lawrence at the centre of the film, Lynne Ramsay’s latest becomes essential viewing.

If there is anything audiences know when they see the name Jennifer Lawrence on a movie poster, other than the fact that they are going to get an incredibly fun press tour, is that you can expect a terrific performance from her. And not only does Lawrence do that in Die My Love, but her turn as Grace is not only one of the year’s most engrossing, but it is one of the strongest performances from Lawrence period. As a new mother struggling with postnatal depression, Lawrence is fearless from start to finish as she carries the entirety of Die My Love on her shoulders. In the film’s early moments, her unmatchable comedic skills masks Grace’s depression, causing it to go unnoticed by her family members or written off without second thought, as she develops her character’s depression.

But moving into the second act, Lawrence unleashes Grace’s internal pain with a raw vulnerability, creating the manic highs as Grace explodes to happenings in her day to day life, behaves erratically and at times violently that is not in line with the woman she was before giving birth, or brings a stillness to periods of prolonged silence during Grace’s moments of outward depression. It’s gut wrenching to watch as a viewer, because even though you can’t help but to be alarmed by Grace’s actions at times, Lawrence informs the entire performance with Grace’s love for her newborn child which makes her struggles all the more tragic and empathetic. Not only is Lawrence firing on all cylinders with one of the year’s best performances, she makes Grace’s challenges accessible to viewers, allowing many of them to start to comprehend something that they may never not experience.

Allowing Lawrence to soar and give such a magnificent performance is the screenplay that never minces the postnatal depression experience. Ramsay is a challenging filmmaker, and there is no question that Die My Love will divide audiences given her challenging and at times explosive approach to postnatal depression, but there is not a moment of the film that does not work as intended. Immersing the audience in Grace’s depression, the writing showcases both the moments of euphoria that Grace feels as a mother, as well as the darkness within her due to her depression.

As the film progresses, the pervasiveness nature of Grace’s depression takes control of the film and as the events depicted become more shocking, creating a truly uncomfortable viewing experience that ensures that the there is not a moment where the audience is not fully in tune with Grace’s depression, or the effect it has on her relationship with her husband Jackson. Even with an ambiguous ending that could be viewed as literal, or an element of magical realism masking Grace’s true actions, Ramsay and her co-writers deliver an unforgettable narrative that will rock viewers to their core, sparking the right respect for mothers dealing with postnatal depression and hopefully generating understanding amongst viewers who can’t even begin to comprehend what such a condition can do to a person’s mental health and familial relationships. This is all supported by the cinematography, with the film shot on film and framed in 4:3 aspect ratio that gives a realistic home video feel to the film, giving a realism to Grace’s struggles depicted on screen, while there is never a shortage of well timed and fantastic needle drops that help to amplify the emotions of the story.

Supporting Lawrence and Ramsay’s vision for the story are the strong supporting performances of Robert Pattinson and Sissy Spacek. Pattinson brings a realistic darkness to Jackson, a tired husband wanting his new family to be perfect and one who is not willing to fully appreciate what is happening with Grace until it is too late. Never creating malice within his character, but frustration as he does not know how to help Grace or respond to her actions, left with his own struggles and feeling alone. You can’t help but empathize with Pattinson as Jackson, even if some of his decisions are down right out of touch with his wife’s struggles and played with such an attitude that Pattinson forces you to feel even more desperate for Grace’s situation. As a pairing, Lawrence and Pattison have instant, off the charts chemistry that is playful and passionate during the romantic moments, but also explosive as their characters clash, creating a dynamic duo that energizes the film every second they are on screen together. While having a limited amount of screen time, Spacek develops Pam’s recent struggles after recently becoming a widow with great ease, but with an eye that sees Grace’s situation as it truly is, trying to support Jackson in getting the help his wife deserves. There is a sympathy towards Grace that Spacek brings to Pam, but also representing a more traditional societal view on the baby blues that is not truly understanding of Grace’s plight, highlighting the message that Ramsay is trying to convey throughout the film.

Telling an important narrative in a challenging manner, Lynne Ramsay does not sparse any portion of her portrayal of postnatal depression in Die My Love. While it is undeniably uncomfortable and increasingly stressful to watch as the film progresses, this only makes the messaging about the importance of mental health in new mothers the more important as audience get a glimpse into postnatal depression, allowing Jennifer Lawrence’s harrowing lead performance to soar to unbelievable heights in one of the year’s best performances. With a deeply vulnerable performance that is Jennifer Lawrence unlike you have ever seen her before, Lynne Ramsay’s portrayal of postnatal depression in Die My Love is startling, immersive and powerful that makes for requisite viewing... even if it is so challenging you will never want to revisit it.