![‘Die My Love’: Lynne Ramsay On Cannes Pressure, Building Ferocity With Jennifer Lawrence, Reclaiming Her Voice & More [Interview]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/10163040/%E2%80%98Die-My-Love-Lynne-Ramsay-On-Cannes-Pressure-Building-Ferocity-With-Jennifer-Lawrence-Reclaiming-Her-Voice-More-Interview.jpg "‘Die My Love’: Lynne Ramsay On Cannes Pressure, Building Ferocity With Jennifer Lawrence, Reclaiming Her Voice & More [Interview]")
How did you find your own way into the material since you didn’t originate the script like you usually do?
Jennifer Lawrence emailed me and asked me to consider directing the adaptation. I didn’t know anything about the Martin Scorsese book club. I read the novel and immediately realized how difficult it would be to adapt. I’ve dealt with challenging adaptations, but this one was a true puzzle. I was already working on another script and needed time to figure out how to enter this one.
The novel is surreal, shifting, and ambiguous — you’re never sure what’s real or imagined. But the opening scene is incredible, and once you’re inside the protagonist’s mind, it becomes this multilayered, Rubik’s Cube experience. What stood out was the character’s unapologetic, irreverent, messy nature — frustrating, childlike, inappropriate, sexual, animalistic. She isn’t designed to earn sympathy. That felt powerful. Underneath it all was a love story — a marriage that begins with fun and idealism before it deteriorates.
What drew you to the character’s feral, liberated nature?
She’s not trying to be liked. She’s wild, annoyed, inappropriate, bored, stuck, sexual, angry, and alive. She’s a woman in rage, and that’s compelling. Her sexuality isn’t framed in a traditional way — it’s primal and connected to nature, to the forest, to fecundity. There’s something liberating in how she expresses herself, even when she’s losing control. The breakdown of her marriage is part of that.
The traits that Rob’s character loved at the beginning become overwhelming after the baby is born. He still loves her but doesn’t know how to handle her. Sissy Spacek’s character sees it more clearly. Parenthood makes everyone lose themselves: mental health shifts, identity fractures, and love life disappears. That truth felt essential to the story.
How did Jennifer Lawrence use physical space to shape her performance?
Jennifer had complete freedom in how she used the environment. In a scene where she’s bored, I told her to use the space like a caged animal. She walked to the window and licked it — I never directed her to do that. In another moment, she nudged a laundry basket until it tipped over, which expressed her rage and loneliness. She interacts with her environment emotionally. Every take was different, never predictable. She brought in new energy each time, and that kept the film alive.
What was the process like working with her and Robert Pattinson together?
Prep was incredibly short — four to four and a half weeks — and I hadn’t cast anyone before arriving. Everything was accelerated. They arrived early in prep, which doesn’t always happen because actors often show up late. We did readings, but expressive dance exercises were the breakthrough. They did things that embarrassed them, that forced them to synchronize physically and expose themselves creatively. It broke the ice. Then I shot the intimate scenes on the first day, in chronological order, because if you leave them until later, they become intimidating. Shooting them early sets the tone and frees the actors. Their chemistry was immediate and instinctive, and you can only know that when they’re physically together. It was clear they connected in a way that served the film.
There are long gaps between your films. Presumably, it’s as difficult as ever to get projects made?
Yes, it’s challenging, and COVID-19 made it even more difficult. I had a very ambitious project involving a boat going to the Arctic [editor’s note: this is “Polaris” with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara]. I didn’t realize you need to book a boat a year in advance. The logistics became impossible. COVID disrupted everything, and then the writer’s strike added more delays. You go through stretches of bad luck. Smaller, contained films are easier to make. This one was contained — one house, two actors — so it moved faster. Between the script and production was only a year. But big, ambitious films take more time.
Are “Polaris” or “Stone Mattress” still happening?
“Polaris” is an original script that I really love. It’s unusual, cold, and atmospheric. Jonny Greenwood [of Radiohead] read it and said he could feel the cold. But it needs more honing, and because it’s set in Alaska and is a period piece, it brings logistical challenges. “Stone Mattress” is a fantastic short story adaptation, but again, it involves the Arctic and Greenland, which complicates production. We’re trying to get one of them moving. COVID at least gave me time to write, so they still exist and could happen.
Are you still interested in the Moby Dick-inspired project?
Yes. Years ago, I cut a little trailer for myself. It wasn’t about a monster — it was inspired by the big themes. But it’s ambitious, and ambition is difficult to fund right now. Smaller films are easier to make. I would love to make these larger, more challenging pieces, but timing and logistics matter. You need the right circumstances.
Jennifer Lawrence is a good patron. Presumably, she helps this get made, and hopefully, you can find more of those for the other projects.
Definitely. Jennifer being in this film makes financing easier. The same is true with Robert. I didn’t think of him in franchise terms — he came to mind through my niece. I’d love to work with him alone on a project. They trusted me completely. Actors help open doors, but true patrons — people who say, “Do what you want” — are rare. That would be ideal.
I loved your work and hope your next one comes soon.
I hope so too. I need it to be much sooner.
“Die My Love” is in theaters now via MUBI.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
