“I’ve always been so fascinated by characters and getting into their psyche” and Lynne Ramsay’s latest film Die My Love is no exception. In her fifth feature film, Ramsay once again proves her ability to dive into the psyche of complex characters, through a blend of raw social realism and poetic visual storytelling. Whilst her filmography may be small, with just five feature films across 25 years, Ramsay continues be a distinct voice in cinema. From her debut film Ratcatcher (1999) to her last film You Were Never Really Here (2017), her films are defined by visionary directing and renowned performances.
Adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel, Die My Love follows Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), a couple who leave New York for an abandoned house in rural Montana, as they prepare for the arrival of their first child. Jackson wants to create music and Grace wants to write a novel. In the beginning they appear vibrant, in love, and full of passion, especially for each other. But as Grace struggles with the isolation of motherhood and creative stagnation, the cracks in their relationship start to show and the boundary between reality and fantasy begin to blur.
“It’s about their marriage breaking down, her being isolated, her loneliness and her creativity drying up, the sex drying up, and everything kind of imploding” Lynne Ramsay explains.
Lawrence delivers one of her most daring performances as a woman whose sense of self begins to unravel. Her suffocating domestic life and deepening depression is echoed in the square aspect ratio that boxes her in and creates a profound sense claustrophobia. Shot on 35mm film, the night time sequences take on a grainy, surreal quality that heightens Grace’s descent into her feral desires and hallucinations. Graces seems trapped, unfulfilled both emotionally and sexually as she crawls through the grass field by her house in the day. But in the night time, Grace embraces these desires through surreal dreams of a mysterious motorcyclist, a black horse and fires spreading across a forest. Through these visuals, Ramsay has been able to translate the characters’ drifting and fragmented states of mind onto the screen.
Ramsay deepens this sense of a fractured mindset throughout the film, with memorable scenes such as Grace replaying Toni Basil’s “Oh Mickey!” again and again. At first, it begins as fun, cheerful moment, but as the scene goes on, it shifts into something disturbing, as the repetition of the lyrics and Graces dancing go well past of the point of ease. “It’s kind of like she’s been there for a while… She can’t be bothered changing the record,” Ramsay notes. The moment captures the monotony and isolation felt when unravelling, making Grace’s journey feel eerily recognisable. This sense of emotional paralysis resurfaces again at a children’s birthday party, where Grace admits, “I’m stuck between wanting to do something and not wanting to do anything at all.” As seen in Morvern Callar (2002) and We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), Ramsay embraces the contradictions of her female characters and allows space for her audience to relate to them.
Pattinson compliments Lawrence brilliantly; as Lawrence delivers an intense and erratic performance, Pattinson brings apprehension and almost fear, as he is unable to navigate Grace’s turmoil. Their cars scenes alone across the film emphasis the journey their relationship is taking: from arguing, to silence, to near death experiences and to a rendition of “In Spite of Ourselves.” Ramsay, who loves to “experiment and… push people as far as I can,” draws raw, unpredictable performances that pushes both Lawrence and Pattinson as well as the audience.
Die My Love is not only a must-see film for longtime Ramsay fans, but also for anyone drawn to bold, psychologically rich cinema that explores a love story spiralling into madness. Ramsay’s vibrant and visually arresting portrait of complex characters, is both an immersive and an important viewing. In the end, the film grabs you and shows how love can ultimately tear us apart.
Die My Love is screening at Plymouth Arts Cinema from 28th November – 4th December
Reviewed by Isla Sinclair
