“Die My Love,” the newest film from acclaimed Scottish director Lynne Ramsay, entered the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as one of its most anticipated entries—and MUBI acquiring the film for $24M, the festival’s biggest deal, has only accentuated the intrigue.
However, following its screening in the Lumière Theater on Friday, many were left puzzled. The film has sparked plenty of debate among attendees, and remains a major topic of conversation along the Croisette.
Most reviews have pointed towards the film tackling postpartum depression, but during a candid conversation with film critic Elvis Mitchell, Ramsay herself is saying they got it all wrong, and she’s frustrated about it:
“This whole postpartum thing is just bullshit,” Ramsay said. “It’s not about that. It’s about a relationship breaking down, it’s about love breaking down, and sex breaking down after having a baby. And it’s also about a creative block.”
In the film, Jennifer Lawrence’s Grace gives birth to a baby boy, and the spiral begins. Barely getting any help, and support, and sex, from her husband (Robert Pattinson), A sort of depression curdles into full-blown psychosis.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, “Die My Love” follows a young couple who swap their fast-paced life in New York City for the isolation of rural Montana. Their passionate bond begins to unravel following the birth of their child, exposing deep emotional and psychological fractures.
Based on Ariana Harwicz’s 2017 novel of the same name, the film also stars performances by LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte. Ramsay directed from a script she co-wrote with Enda Walsh and Alice Birch.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.