Jennifer Lawrence Gets to Act Her Age in Die, My Love

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Reflecting on the 2010s, the film “Die, My Love” brought to mind Jennifer Lawrence‘s rapid transition from portraying teenagers to mature characters within a year. In 2012, she played the 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen in the debut of “The Hunger Games,” followed by appearing as Bradley Cooper’s widowed love interest in David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” just six months later. The next year, Lawrence was cast as Christian Bale’s discontented wife in “American Hustle,” and then as Joy Mangano, a Long Island matriarch turned QVC queen, in “Joy” in 2015. It felt like movie stars were becoming increasingly rare, so Russell seemed to have no other option but to enlist Lawrence, who was undeniably one of the chosen few, even if she didn’t seem a perfect fit for the roles he assigned her. Despite being excellent in these films, it was hard not to notice that Lawrence was portraying women who had lived more life than she had experienced at the time.

In recent years, Lawrence has taken a deliberate approach in choosing her roles, and her performance in the new film “Die, My Love” by Lynne Ramsay is a clear demonstration of the kind of actress she aspires to be. In this movie, based on Ariana Harwicz’s novel, Lawrence portrays Grace, a woman experiencing a breakdown after giving birth for the first time and moving from the city to her husband’s rural hometown. Lawrence’s performance is electrifying, embodying an elemental chaos that suggests it’s not her character but the world around her that’s fallen apart. The film, a postpartum dreamscape of both mundane and fantastical imagery, doesn’t so much tell a story as it careens off a cliff, and Lawrence is the one who keeps it together. She immersed herself deeply into the role, with the fact that it was filmed between the births of her two children adding an additional layer of authenticity.

The story Die, My Love opens with Grace, a writer, and her musician husband Jackson (Robert Pattinson), moving into a house previously owned by Jackson’s uncle. Despite their domestic life, they maintain an untamed spirit, as evidenced by their passionate dancing, drinking, and lovemaking. However, their wildness seems to intensify when Grace becomes pregnant. As their child grows, Grace exhibits a ferocity that is no longer playful, especially when she’s seen crawling through the grass with a knife. Although it’s revealed the knife is for a cake, the infant being six months old, the atmosphere between them has changed, and their once carefree dynamic now feels unpredictable and discordant. Grace often enters into a trance-like state, while Jackson appears unwilling or unable to accompany her on these journeys. As nighttime feedings continue, Grace starts venturing into the woods, where she encounters enigmatic figures like a black horse and a motorcycle rider, whose authenticity becomes questionable as Grace’s mental state deteriorates.

As a Lynne Ramsay-directed movie, “Die, My Love” showcases a more enigmatic and visually rich style compared to films like “Tully” and “Nightbitch,” which occupy similar genres. However, the film’s complexity might suggest that Ramsay doesn’t always have a clear vision of her intended narrative. For instance, a motorcycle rider character played by LaKeith Stanfield appears in a side plot that is so fragmented it becomes challenging to comprehend.

The movie’s latter half is hard to decipher, with scenes like a wedding that may be a flashback or directly linked to a contemporary hospital stay. Yet, throughout the film, Natalie Portman’s character, Grace, exudes an intense, magnetic energy that seems to control all other performances. Robert Pattinson portrays a whiny and ineffective young man drawn into her orbit, while Sissy Spacek delivers a subdued yet worried performance as Jackson’s mother.

“Die, My Love” explores themes beyond typical maternal expectations, focusing instead on Grace’s personal struggles. She seethes with an unnamed anger that stems from various sources, including her relationship with Jackson, herself, and the world that has caused her pain. The film may not entirely cohere, but Portman’s performance is profoundly moving and mature.

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2025-05-24 21:54