Movie Review: Die My Love

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A flawed movie that works because of a masterful performance by Jennifer Lawrence. 

Jennifer Lawrence truly shines in the role of a woman who is having a mental breakdown after having a baby. She is absolutely incredible here. This is one of those performances in which you forget you are watching an actress or a fictional character. All you see is a real person on the screen. And though sometimes I found myself getting angry at the character's actions (she can be selfish and downright cruel), I could feel the authenticity in every one of these moments. Though Lawrence has always been a very strong actress, this movie shows the depth and maturity she is capable of. Robert Pattinson and Sissy Spacek (a personal favorite actress of mine) are great as well, but this movie is Jennifer Lawrence's time to shine. And shine she does. 

I am also greatly impressed with the very cinematic way this movie is told. The rural setting and the way this setting is shot and often lingered on, greatly enhances the feeling of isolation. Meanwhile the soundtrack is very effectively used. There are moments that are almost silent and moments that are deafeningly loud, both of which are used masterfully to put us in the mindset of the main character. 

However, this movie is relentlessly depressing. While there have been many great sad movies most of them have at least a few moments that relieve you from the sadness or offer a faint glimmer of hope. That is not here at all. We simply see our main character fall further and further down the rabbit hole of misery. Many of the ways this is done feel completely unnecessary. Did we really need the whole subplot about the dog or having her husband cheat on her, when the focus of this movie is on the effect motherhood has on her? These subplots only exist to tie her down with even more misery. It gets to the point fairly early on, when it is easy to become fed up with the misery this movie constantly heaps on its characters that we simply find ourselves wanting this movie to just end. This can make this movie feel much longer than it actually is. 

This movie is also brought down by the use of unnecessary symbolism and avant-garde visuals. This is a film that works best when it tells its story and a more realistic and relatable fashion. The more abstract and artsy scenes seem to be too much in contrast with the majority of the film. 

This is a very flawed movie but also one that is held down by a truly great lead performance.