Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson's movie is torture to watch. That's the point.

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Some movies are made to be enjoyed. Die, My Love is not one of those movies.

The Lynne Ramsay-directed film is adapted from Ariana Harwicz's novel of the same name but moves the setting from regional France to rural Montana.

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson play Grace and Jackson, a young couple who move from New York City to a remote, rundown house inherited after Jackson's uncle's death.

At first, their passion for each other is intense and wild, but after their son's birth, their dynamic changes drastically.

Grace, who had hoped to further her writing career (although this detail is weirdly downplayed in the film), is instead consumed and trapped by her new role as a mother. Jackson's absences — both emotional and intimately — only exacerbate her feelings of abandonment and suspicions of infidelity.

And quickly, Grace's mental state spirals out of control as she becomes increasingly violent and volatile.

Watch the trailer for Die, My Love. Post continues below.

Okay, so this movie is… a lot.

I'll start with the stuff that I loved.

Lawrence is simply stunning as a young mother struggling with psychological distress.

There's no disputing that this is the most committed and unflinching performance Lawrence has ever given, and she deserves all the praise she will inevitably receive. Her ferocious and visceral performance anchors the entire film — and believe me, this movie needed an anchor.

Lawrence's incredible depiction aside, there is an odd ambivalence around exactly what Grace is going through. The film suggests it's postpartum depression, but there are other clues that it could be something else.

The film's own director, Lynne Ramsay, has expressed her frustration with people trying to box in the character's condition.

"This whole postpartum thing is just bulls**t," Ramsay said at this year's Cannes Film Festival. "It's not about that. It's about a relationship breaking down."

Based on her escalating behaviour, Grace could have borderline personality disorder, but the film doesn't have any interest in getting a legitimate diagnosis.

Image: Mubi.

Despite her alarming behaviour, characters simply say Grace is "being a little loopy" due to motherhood. Perhaps in the past, women in the grips of postpartum depression would be dismissed, but as a worldly New York couple, it feels out of step that they wouldn't consult professional help earlier in the film.

But it's unclear when this is set — it has 1960s/70s aesthetic but features modern technology, yet its lax approach to mental illness suggests a discrepancy in the eras represented.

The rest of the cast all bring layered and delicate portrayals to the roles, especially Sissy Spacek, as Jackson's mother Pam, who supports Grace through the depths of her emotional crisis.

The biggest surprise for me was Robert Pattinson as Grace's partner, Jackson. The English actor managed to both match Lawrence's intensity while balancing his own sense of despair, impatience and rage around Grace's condition.

In particular, what struck me was the ugliness of his performance, which triggered an unexpected repulsion in me. This was a surprising response, especially coming from Twilight's number one Team Edward stan.

But as Jackson, any charm he once exuded quickly evaporated, proving that Pattinson has become one of Hollywood's greatest acting chameleons.

I'm sorry, but Jackson really sucked as a partner. His worst sin was bringing home a loud, barking rescue dog despite Grace already being in the grips of distress. (FYI if you're a dog fan, it might be best to skip this movie.)

This plot point exemplified my frustration with this movie. Grace is very much not okay and Jackson doesn't do anything to make her life any easier.

With this harmful and hopeless dynamic, the viewer knows that things are only going to get worse — and they do.

This film is a real slog to get through and there's zero reprieve. From the early stages of the film, Grace is already exhibiting increasingly erratic and self-destructive behaviour, crawling around on all fours wielding a knife and having intense hallucinations and fantasies about sex and self-harm.

Image: Mubi.

As a viewer, it's not clear exactly what is happening.

Watching Die, My Love is a deeply disorienting experience, with flashes from one moment to the next — past and present — and throughout it all, reality merges with Grace's delusions.

As a novel, I can see how the non-linear narrative and blend of surrealism and reality would effectively capture Grace's scattered psyche, but as a film, it is not easy to fully comprehend what's happening or what the director is trying to tell you.

Grace's consistent breakdowns do become slightly repetitive, making for a circular experience with a buildup of stress leading to an inevitable mental collapse, which is repeated over and over again.

But that's probably the point.

For people in the grips of a mental illness or the loved ones supporting them, their lives would feel a lot like this — with every temporary high comes the lowest of lows. Rinse and repeat.

Overall, there is a lot in this movie that I absolutely adored.

Aside from the acting, the sound design is impactful. Creating an oppressive atmosphere, the soundscape designed by Paul Davies infuses the natural sounds of buzzing bees and a constantly barking dog to mirror the sensory assault on Grace's deteriorating mind.

It puts you right in her shoes and I haven't felt such a visceral reaction to a film like this all year.

The soundtrack helps to establish the film's black comedy tone with a delightful mix of country and punk rock songs dropping at unexpected moments. It all works.

Simply put, there's a lot to love about this film, but it's also not the type of movie that I'd choose to watch again.

Director Lynne Ramsay described the film, saying "If it's a love story — a bonkers, crazy love story — if it's got many layers to it."

It's certainly succeeded at doing all of those things.

If you can get through its two-hour running time — and you feel every passing minute — what you will find is a brutally raw examination of female desire, rage and the pressures of motherhood. It's an important film worth your time.

Feature image: Mubi.