By Charlie Kendellen
Lynne Ramsay has returned to grace our silver screens with her latest feature Die My Love. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence in what I deem to be her best performance yet, her co-stars include a stellar Robert Pattinson and Sissy Spacek — who provided us with the blueprint for the unhinged woman in her unforgettable performance as the titular lead in Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976).
Ramsay is a filmmaker who is no stranger to depicting maternal ambivalence — We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) follows Tilda Swindon in one of her best performances, as a mother who reflects on her troubled relationship with her son, after he commits a horrific act of violence. Die My Love follows a similar route in its unpacking of motherhood as an act of self-annihilation.
Jennifer Lawrence is a powerhouse as Grace, a new mother struggling with the transition to motherhood and suburban life. John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence (1974) comparisons are inevitable, as both films feature hyper realistic portrayals of mental illness and maternal ambivalence. However, Lawrence’s performance deserves to be acknowledged as its own beast, as she truly gives an all-timer performance, and will go down in the acting hall of fame alongside Gena Rowlands herself.
The film is quite unflinching in its portrayal of the primal, carnal nature of womanhood — Lawrence spends much of the runtime crawling through fields, gritting her teeth, thrashing about in an animalistic manner, and it’s a welcome depiction of womanhood that’s been facing something of a renaissance recently — with films like Sanctuary (2022) and Babygirl (2024) hitting the mainstream.
Lynne Ramsay is one of her generation’s greatest filmmakers and her latest feature film is a testament to her brilliance as a visionary auteur.
Die My Love is currently in cinemas.