Die My Love Rezension: Lynne Ramsays Drama trifft auf vertraute Motive, trotz der eindringlichen Darstellung von Jennifer Lawrence.

      Note: This review was initially published as part of our Cannes 2025 coverage. Die My Love will be released in theaters on November 7.

      Near the climax of Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, two assassins—one dressed sharply but dying, the other disheveled yet very much alive—lie together on a kitchen floor, their hands softly touching as Charlene’s “Never Been to Me” plays softly from a nearby radio, the lyrics barely escaping the lips of the injured man. This contrasting moment transformed what was otherwise a clinically executed revenge film into something nearly sublime. Ramsay utilizes this approach again, albeit with less impactful results in her highly anticipated follow-up Die My Love, a visceral and tightly wound narrative about a woman experiencing a mental breakdown. As always, Ramsay’s choice of soundtrack is both enjoyable and unpredictable, featuring David Bowie’s “Kooks” on a car radio and the director herself singing an acoustic rendition of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” during the closing credits—a fitting selection for a tale of toxic love and the actions we take against our loved ones, laden with sorrow in the separation.

      The film’s most pure moment of catharsis occurs right at the start, as a loud guitar track sets the stage for a heated, raw, and chaotically edited sex scene between the doomed lovers. Their names are Grace and Jackson, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, who—despite their bold choices in the past—have seldom displayed such intense physicality on screen. This audacious energy has characterized Ramsay’s films since Ratcatcher premiered in Un Certain Regard back in 1999, marking her as a fresh and essential voice in British cinema. That remains the only film she has written from an original screenplay; for various reasons, her admirers have had to wait patiently for each new project. It will be eight years next week since Here concluded the Cannes competition, and while no work can be blamed for the expectations of an audience, it’s hard to watch Die My Love without drawing comparisons to similar films—most notably Lawrence’s role in Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, and also Mary Bronstein’s more recent If I Had Legs I Would Kick You featuring Rose Byrne.

      Die My Love is adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s debut novel, which Martin Scorsese is said to have discovered before it reached Lawrence, who then approached Ramsay to direct. In what seems to pay homage to the late, great Gena Rowlands, Lawrence delivers her most powerful performance in years as a woman struggling under the influence, a young mother whose bipolar behavior is frequently attributed to postpartum depression. Yet, the characters around her pay little mind to one another’s concerns. This includes her intermittently available husband, who may be having an affair, and a compassionate mother-in-law, played by Sissy Spacek, who has her own experience with off-kilter screen mothers and appears to enjoy having Lawrence as a scene partner. Their interactions rank among the best Die My Love has to offer; however, their comfortable chemistry highlights the curious lack of connection when Lawrence and Pattinson engage in dialogue.

      The screenplay is a collaboration among Ramsay, Alice Birch (Normal People), and Irish playwright Enda Walsh, a formidable trio that makes the rigid tone and indulgent dream-logic all the more perplexing. I would argue this is the director's least effective film, but given she has never released a bad one, that might not carry much weight. Regardless, Die My Love is still worthwhile—especially for the way Lawrence prowls through tall grass, one hand brandishing a knife and the other tucked into her jeans, infusing every scene with a dangerous, sexual energy. This remains undoubtedly a Lynne Ramsay film. We can only hope it’s not another eight years before her next project.

      Die My Love had its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will be distributed by MUBI.