Die My Love (15)
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

POSTPARTUM depression is still a subject that isn’t talked about widely or openly, but its devastating and crippling effects are laid bare in this bold and brutal psychological drama by visionary director Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin).

It is epitomised by Jennifer Lawrence, in a career defining performance, as a young mother and writer who is slowly losing her mind. She feels overwhelmed by motherhood: the loss of self and identity as she is consumed by taking care of her baby, and she battles depression. She doesn’t transform into a dog like Amy Adams in Nightbitch but turns into a ticking timebomb as she becomes volatile, totally unpredictable and unhinged.  
                                                                                                                      
Produced by Martin Scorsese, based on Ariana Harwicz’s book and co-written by Ramsay, the film follows Grace (Lawrence) and her partner Jackson (Robert Pattinson) as they move into an old house they inherited from his dead uncle which is in the middle of nowhere in the depths of Montana. 

At the start they are passionate and fun-loving, and cannot keep their hands off each other, but once the baby arrives he spends more time working away from home while Grace is left caring for their child with no help or support. The house becomes a suffocating prison, made worse by the unbearable heat. Her mother-in-law (Sissy Spacek) is the only one who sees her and realises what she is going through. 

Lawrence, who was pregnant with her second child at the time of filming, gives a fearless and convincing portrayal of a woman suffering a psychosis and who cannot tell what is real and what isn’t. Meanwhile Pattinson holds his own, going toe to toe with Lawrence. It culminates in a comical shouting match between the two as they lay into one another, while keeping their voices down so as not disturb the baby. Jackson just doesn’t know how to help her. There is a poignant cameo by Nick Nolte as Grace’s father-in-law who has dementia but still connects with her.  

The film, which is a hard watch at times, also contains a lot of unvarnished nudity as Lawrence and Pattinson bare all. It is raw and uncompromising and examines the link between PPD and suicidal behaviour in its thought-provoking and fiery ending.

In cinemas November 7