Die My Love (2025) – Review

Quick Thoughts:

1. Jennifer Lawrence must’ve trusted Lynne Ramsay with her life, because she throws herself into the performance (and several glass doors)

2. I always look forward to a Lynne Ramsay film

3. Between Causeway and Die My love Lawrence has had good luck with swimming pools

4. Ramsay calls it a “bonkers, crazy love story,” and I agree. 

5.. The 1.33:1 aspect ratio used by McGarvey succeeds in making the wide open expanses of Montana (or Calgary, Alberta) seem claustrophobic. 

6. It’s not surprising, but the sound design by Tim Burns and Paul Davis is excellent. It incorporates barking dogs, crying babies, and random songs that would drive any new parent crazy. 

7. It makes me happy that Martin Scorsese read Ariana Harwicz’s  2012 book Die, My Love, and sent it to Jennifer Lawrence. 

When it comes to films directed by Lynne Ramsay, you don’t just watch them – you feel them. Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here, and Die, My Love, are sensory-blasting experiences that test your eyes and ears. I still remember feeling the weight of Joaquin Phoenix’s hammer in You Were Never Really Here, and the usage of negative space in We Need to Talk About Kevin has lingered in my memory for years. I have a feeling that I’ll be thinking about Jennifer Lawrence’s kamikaze performance for a long time. 

Ramsay only had four weeks of prep before shooting, so she had writers/playwrights Alice Birch and Enda Walsh work on the adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel. What’s interesting is that Ramsay admitted to being not totally “sure of the book,” which tells its story from a first-person perspective. Her solution was to create a boatload of moodboards and pitch decks, and then allow Pattinson and Lawrence to throw themselves into their roles with reckless abandon.

You never learn much about the central couple or what they do. Jackson (Pattinson) has a job that requires him to travel, and we’re told that Grace (Lawrence) is/was/wants to be a novelist. They’ve moved back to Montana from New York City (it’s mentioned briefly) to live in a family home that’s near Jackson’s mom and dad (Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte). Grace is an unpredictable force of nature whose flirting resembles what happens in a mosh pit during a dive bar punk show. She’s aggressive, cat-like, and occasionally leaves large knives near her infant child. Jackson is a bit of an egg who loves his wife (and cheap beer), but has no idea how to handle or help her. Together, they’ve formed a couple who love each other and their kid, but are on different wavelengths, which makes communication impossible. 

Ramsay has said that both actors had to “trust” her, and they definitely did. The roles are very physical, impromptu and require copious amounts of nudity. Which isn’t a problem for either actor as they’ve gone all-in before in movies like mother!, No Hard Feelings, The Lighthouse, and Good Time. The main draw of Die My Love is watching two A-list talents crawl through grass, throw themselves through glass windows, and dance like maniacs. 

Lawrence’s performance in particular is pure physicality – and it must’ve been exhausting because she was four months pregnant during the production. She made the film because she believed in Ramsay (who wouldn’t?), so she pushed through the discomfort to deliver another excellent performance. One of the best things about Lawrence is that she’s one of the most versatile working actors, as she can pull off beach fights (No Hard Feelings), dance competitions (The Silver Linings Playbook), quiet poolside conversations (Causeway) or wrestling with CGI sewer monsters (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2). Lawrence rolls deep, and Ramsay is a perfect dance partner.

Since it’s a Lynne Ramsay film, it was shot on 35mm film stock with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Director of photography Seamus McGarvery chose to shoot day for night to create a blue-tinted look that doesn’t feel out of place in the film. The end result is a visually interesting film that looks like Terrence Malick teamed up with Harmony Korine and Lynn Ramsay to make a darkly comedic romance.

Final Thoughts – Jennifer Lawrence is great, and you should watch Die My Love because she goes for it.