It was a big day at the Cannes Film Festival, with Lynne Ramsay returning (with Jennifer Lawrence) and Richard Linklater going French.
The Cannes Film Festival is nearing the end of its first week and with it, we got a buzzy new Jennifer Lawrence/Robert Pattinson drama and a Richard Linklater-directed ode to French cinema.
“Die, My Love,” the long-awaited new film from Lynne Ramsay, premiered Saturday and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattison were on hand to welcome it to the world.
The stars, who had each anchored their own beloved YA franchise long ago, attended the premiere alongside their director (this is the Scottish director’s first feature since 2017’s brilliant “You Were Never Really Here”) with Sissy Spacek, Mariska Hargitay and someone dressed as a turkey – or maybe it was a condor? It’s a little unclear.
As for the film itself, which stars Lawrence and Pattinson as a couple going through marital strife after the birth of their first child, it received a lengthy standing ovation (just how lengthy depends on who you believe) but was divisive according to social media sentiment, with some calling it an overwhelming, shapeless assault (there was more than one comparison to Lawrence’s similarly divisive “mother!”) while others are applauding its bravery and willingness to engage with the sometimes terrifying realities of postpartum depression. Our own critic, Chase Hutchinson, was slightly mixed but leaned towards positive, writing, “Even as it’s not Ramsay’s best film, even a minor work from the filmmaker is still better than just about any other director. There remains a haunting power that she’s able to wield over her audience.” That’s right – even if it isn’t perfect, just having a new Lynne Ramsay movie is reason enough for a celebration worthy of Cannes.
And while the movie was being tipped as one of the big acquisition titles, that acquisition came almost immediately, with Mubi picking up rights for United States distribution and other territories for more than $20 million.
