How Movement Tells A Story 

If you're like me, you might not give a lot of thought to the simple things that your body does. Do you ever think about the way that you sit? Personally, I like to cross my legs and put my ankle up on my knee. I walk at a pretty brisk pace, often with my hands in my pockets or swinging by my side to get more momentum. I love dancing for fun. I just go loosely-goosy with it and try to have a good time. Maybe I'll bust out some disco moves, but not much else.

The way I move is not interesting. No one is going to pick me out of a crowd and observe my movement patterns. Some people just have such an interesting way about them that you can't help but take notice. Grace in Die My Love is one of those characters. She expresses her emotions through movement.

Jennifer Lawrence adds a whole new dynamic to a movie about mental illness that stands out among other films tackling her femininity and her struggles. She takes the character of Grace and takes us on a journey where we get to experience her mental illness with her.

My girlfriend used to be a competitive dancer and I would often go watch her shows. That introduced me to a whole new style of dancing, contemporary dance. These dances were not always the most visually pleasing or rythmically in sync. However, they performed dances made to tell a story. Die My Love is a movie about a mother struggling with post-partem depression and it is beautifully told through dance-like movements, such as crawling though grass or bending her back all the way over. It takes hold of my interest in seeing her inner thoughts expressed on the outside.

There have been a multitude of films that tackle mental illness in a personal sense recently. Die My Love adds another layer to the performance of the actors. It doesn't rely on over the top production but still includes it. I could argue it would convey a clearer message if it just focussed on the movements alone. Motion is a powerful way to show an ongoing cycle such as post-partem depression.

At the start of the film, Grace and Jackson are moving into their new home. It's old and dusty, but they are excited about starting their new life together. She's a writer and he's a musician and they are madly in love. They then proceed to to make love with each other all over their new place. The film blasts us with loud pumping music as they show us the passion that they have for one another.

This moment is a significant one in the movie as we get to see just what Jackson and Grace's relationship is like. The director, Lynne Ramsay, chose to include these more graphic scenes of intimacy as they show much more than just them having sex. They are animalistic and fierce, but at the same time enamoured with each other. Sexuality will be an ongoing theme of the story.

They both have an affinity for acting like animals. They strut through the grass like gazelles, every muscle in their bodies working to create a graceful crawl. This is quite strange for most people and a thing they would probably not do. As you watch the movie, you can see that this impersonation of animals is something that Grace enjoys and brings her character to life. She's able to express herself with rage and captivity, her thoughts are not just stuck in her head.

In an interview with Ramsey, she talks about the animalistic side to Grace. Grace feels like an animal trapped in the cage of her house. She has nowhere to go and nothing to do. Grace needs to run free, she's not meant to be caged up. This is clearly shown through her actions. It seems like she starts to feel like a beast that Jackson doesn't want to let free. One of her most interesting scenes is when she starts barking at their annoying dog. I can relate to this scene living in an animal-run household. Sometimes you can't help barking back at your dog or headbutting your cat (gently, of course) if they really start to annoy you.

Dancing is another way that Grace is able to find her sense of self. It's not like any form of normal dancing that people do. Grace is bursting with energy and seems to have a compulsive need to get it out.

Maybe the way that I'm describing Grace makes her seem like a weirdo. That is certainly not the case. She is able to sit still and hold a polite conversation with her in-laws. We first see her tending to her father-in-law, Harry, talking with him at a family gathering while he is going through stages of dimentia. Grace also makes a concious effort to connect with Jackson's mother, Pam. They are able to bond in their struggles, losing their sense of self due to recent events. Through these wholesome moments, I feel that I was able to connect with Grace, seeing the tenderness she has for her small family. It nicely balances out the movie and shows her human side amongst the chaos.

In an interview, Lynne Ramsey reflected on the relationship that was built between Pam and Grace during the film's production. Sissy Spacek who plays Pam, Grace's mother-in-law, took a much more empathetic approach to the role. The bond between the women strengthens as Grace takes trips across the field to check on her after Harry passes. Pam can see what Grace is going through and wants to be there for her as well. Pam's one of the major reasons that Grace could hold it together as long as she did, amidst the internal chaos of her life.

Grace's relationship with Jackson, however, starts to detreiorate at a rapid pace. When I first watched the film, I thought this movie was about a couple trying to overcome one of their mental illness' together. After further reflection, the events in the movie could have been much more tame if their relationship stayed stronger. Sexuality was one of the ways that Jackson and Grace bonded with each other, once the baby came this all seemed to go away. Sexuality is a big part of Grace's identity and womanhood. That is why she often likes to get naked and see her naked body. Jackson seems to not see her in that way anymore, and it's taking a toll on her mental health. He is looking to find sexual partners elsewhere, making their relationship a shell of itself.

Grace's struggles are not the reason their relationship changed but the consequence of them growing apart. I have heard about women having these experiences as it has almost become a cliche, but seeing it through this lens makes it all too real and leaves us with a view into Grace's lonely life.

Grace's physicality is expressed in more ways than just the obvious over-the-top actions. Walking is just one way that Ramsay gave this movie more feel. There are a number of scenes that stand out just from how she walks with such intent and grace. She also puts her feet up on the dash of the car and jumps around from seat to seat. Lawrence really embraces the physicality of the character apart from just the scripted sections.

As Grace is sitting in the psych ward towrads the end of the movie, it's clear that her mental health is at it's lowest. Even before she says a word, the stillness in her body is a haunting sight for someone who is usually so lively. She is lying on a tablebed with not an ounce of motion to be seen. This is not the character we saw at the start of the movie.

As a young man, I do not have any experience with post-partem depression or any kind of struggles that a new mother would face. When I watched this movie, I felt immersed and compassionate for Grace, getting a clear picture of what she was going through. With her dance-like movements, we get a glimpse into her world. Lynne Ramsey and Jennifer Lawrence expertly worked together to create a film that explores mental illness in a more captivating way than ever done before, and it showed me a life through the perspective of someone different to myself.