Review of Die, My Love: A Raw Dive into Motherhood and Mental Collapse

Die, My Love is an American psychological thriller that premiered worldwide at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025 and was released in theaters on November 27, 2025.

The film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Argentine author Ariana Harwicz and follows the story of a woman struggling with her own inner turmoil. It is directed by Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin, 2011), who co-wrote the screenplay with Enda Walsh.

The film is produced by Jennifer Lawrence, who also stars in it. She produced it through her own company, Excellent Cadaver. Renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese also serves as one of the producers through Sikelia Productions.

The cast includes Robert Pattinson, Lakeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte, and Sissy Spacek.

Synopsis

Isolated with her husband on a farmhouse in rural Montana (USA), Grace, a young mother, falls into a deep and devastating psychological crisis after the birth of her first child. She struggles to maintain her sanity while facing psychosis and the emotional strain of a marriage that is falling apart.

The film explores the difficulties faced by new mothers, including postpartum depression and psychosis, as well as the tension these conditions create within a relationship.

Official Trailer

Die, My Love (original title Matate, Amor) is a novel by Argentine writer, screenwriter, and playwright Ariana Harwicz, born in 1977 and first published in 2012. The book is part of the author’s “Passion Trilogy” and received international acclaim. It has been adapted for the stage in Argentina and Israel and more recently for film.

The novel portrays the intense psychological crisis of a woman who feels suffocated and trapped by the social roles associated with marriage and motherhood. The narrative dives into the protagonist’s mind, exploring her sense of inadequacy and her desperate struggle for freedom.

Harwicz’s writing style is known for being visceral, violent, and @@@@, yet also deeply lyrical. The novel carries significant psychological intensity, narrated in the first person through a fragmented stream of consciousness. This draws the reader directly into the protagonist’s despair and mental collapse.

Her work is often compared to writers who explore female subjectivity and experimental narrative style, such as Virginia Woolf, Silvina Ocampo, and Clarice Lispector.

When Postpartum Depression is not diagnosed or treated in time and the mother remains in a state of intense isolation and stress, the condition can worsen. In a very small number of cases, it can evolve into Postpartum Psychosis, a severe psychiatric disorder that may cause disconnection from the baby and other people, confused and disorganized thinking, hallucinations, delusional thoughts, and an extreme urge to harm herself or the baby.

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated May 4th as World Maternal Mental Health Day to raise awareness about prevention and treatment.

The film addresses this painful topic, showing that prevention through a strong support network, active listening, and a nonjudgmental environment is the most effective way to keep isolation from leading to a loss of sanity.

Die, My Love is not for viewers seeking light entertainment or a conventional story arc. What draws me in is its commitment to an intense and deliberately uncomfortable sensory experience.

It presents an unflinching and urgent portrayal of maternal mental health, diving directly into postpartum depression, which in Grace’s case escalates into frightening postpartum psychosis.

What captivated me most is its fully immersive approach. Director Lynne Ramsay pulls the audience into Grace’s reality without offering relief or the usual catharsis. I believe her direction is the film’s greatest strength, using claustrophobic visual language, sound design, and cinematography to make us feel the same pressure and mental suffocation as the character.

As Grace’s husband, Robert Pattinson delivers a performance that captures a passive form of neglect, which contributes significantly to the protagonist’s crisis. He portrays the spouse not as an active villain but as someone emotionally distant and slow to react.

Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is raw and visceral and is one of the film’s strongest elements. She does not deliver an explosive emotional display, she grounds the film with an intense steadiness, building the character through a collapse that is silent, painful, and increasingly overwhelming.

The film was highly praised by critics. The general audience, however, reacted in a more mixed and sometimes negative way, resulting in a clear divide in opinion.

Rotten Tomatoes: 73% approval from 230 critics’ reviews and 46% approval from more than 500 audience ratings.

IMDb: 6.6/10 from 13,000 ratings.

Letterboxd: 3.3/5 stars from 174,000 ratings.

CinemaScore: Public rating of D+ after opening night screenings.

Die, My Love is a powerful and unforgettable film. It offers an honest portrayal of mental health and uses psychological suspense to expose the loneliness and overwhelming expectations placed on mothers.

In a world filled with idealized portrayals of motherhood, the film is bold in challenging these narratives, revealing the isolation, pressure, and emptiness that can lead to extreme actions. I feel it is a harsh but deeply necessary piece of cinema.

See you next time!