Jennifer Lawrence earns Cannes acclaim for raw portrayal of motherhood in ‘Die, My Love’

Following last year’s Cannes Film Festival, which produced three Best Actress Oscar nominees, this year’s edition may have found another in Jennifer Lawrence.

Her haunting performance in Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love is drawing early awards buzz after the film’s intense premiere at Cannes.

In the film, adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s 2017 novel, Lawrence stars as Grace, a young mother unraveling under the weight of postpartum depression. Alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays her husband, Lawrence delivers a raw, hallucinatory portrayal of isolation and mental collapse in a crumbling country house. Ramsay’s visceral psychodrama—dark, disorienting, and at times violently surreal—has quickly emerged as one of the most talked-about films of the festival.

For Lawrence, 34 and a mother of two, the role struck close to home. “It was really hard to separate what I would do as opposed to what [Grace] would do,” she said during a press conference on Sunday. “There’s not really anything like postpartum. It’s extremely isolating. But the truth is, extreme anxiety and extreme depression is isolating, no matter where you are.”

Lawrence actively pursued Ramsay—celebrated for films like Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar, and You Were Never Really Here—after years of admiring her work. “I’ve wanted to work with Lynne Ramsay since I saw Ratcatcher,” she said. “I cannot believe that I’m here with you.”

Die, My Love has already made headlines beyond critical acclaim. Indie streamer and distributor Mubi acquired the film in the festival’s largest sale so far, paying $24 million for U.S. and international rights.

Early reactions to Lawrence’s performance suggest another potential Oscar nomination could be on the horizon—she has four previous nominations and won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook in 2013.

Reflecting on how motherhood has influenced her as an actor, Lawrence said, “It changes your whole life. It’s brutal and incredible. I didn’t know that I could feel so much.” She added, “My job has a lot to do with emotion, and they’ve opened up the world to me.”

Pattinson, who also recently became a parent with partner Suki Waterhouse, shared that fatherhood has energized his creative work. When he said it gave him “a trove of energy and inspiration,” Lawrence playfully teased, “You get energy?!”

Pattinson replied with a sigh, “This question is impossible for a guy to answer correctly,” drawing laughter from the crowd.

Die, My Love is competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes and has quickly become one of the festival’s defining films—emotionally wrenching, deeply personal, and powerfully performed.