Grace, a writer and young mother, is slowly slipping into madness. Locked away in an old house in and around Montana, we see her acting increasingly agitated and erratic, leaving her companion, Jackson, increasingly worried and helpless.

Lynne Ramsay’s first film in several years, ‘Die My Love’, marks her fifth feature and a return to the kind of visceral, intimate filmmaking she’s known for. From the opening scenes you’re pulled straight into the world of Grace (Jennifer Lawrence), and it’s an experience designed to overwhelm with a restless camera, jagged editing and bold musical choices. All of it creates an immersive atmosphere that pulls you directly into Grace’s headspace, though the intensity occasionally tips from engrossing to overstimulating.

At the centre is Jennifer Lawrence, delivering a committed, almost uncomfortably raw performance as a young mother slipping into postnatal depression. She plays a young woman whose life transforms after she has a child – the shift from playful, carefree beginnings with her partner (all dancing, silliness and sex) to the isolating weight of new motherhood hits hard, and Lawrence carries that transition with a clarity that makes the film’s strongest moments hit even harder. As the film becomes more chaotic, Lawrence’s performance anchors it and she is never anything less than captivating.

The supporting cast — Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte, LaKeith Stanfield — appear briefly but meaningfully, and Robert Pattinson is the perfect foil as her increasingly exasperated partner, though he’s not without fault himself. The film’s immersive style is admirable, and at times genuinely striking, but it’s also where it started to lose me with the by design sensory overload often more exhausting than engrossing. ‘Die My Love’ is uneven, sometimes overwhelming, but undeniably potent in stretches, with Lawrence’s standout performance carrying it, and despite my misgivings, there’s something to admire in Ramsay’s unwavering commitment to capturing a horrendous experience from the inside out.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Lynne Ramsey

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, Sissy Spacek, LaKeith Stanfield and Nick Nolte

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt9362736/