Between highs and many lows, ‘Morra, Amor’ does not keep up with Jennifer Lawrence

‘Morra, Amor’ premieres in Brazil this Thursday, November 27th, directed by Lynne Ramsay and based on the novel by Ariana Harwicz. The story follows Grace, played by Jennifer Lawrence, a woman who faces a postpartum period marked by emotional imbalance and growing estrangement within her own marriage. Written by Ramsay in partnership with Enda Walsh and Alice Birch, the film also stars Robert Pattinson as Jackson, as well as appearances by LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte.

The film is entirely centered on Grace’s trajectory. While Jackson exists as a reactive presence, the narrative draws almost all of its dramatic energy from the female point of view. His character works more as a mirror of marital maladjustment than as an agent of action, and this passivity reduces the density of the emotional dynamics when the script tries to balance both sides of the couple. Jackson’s personality development is limited and contributes little to the progression of the plot, which sometimes leaves holes in the logic of the events that follow.

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The thematic exploration of postpartum is incisive. The film delves into aspects such as intrusive thoughts, feelings of alienation and the erosion of sexual desire in the marital relationship. The issue of sexuality appears as one of the guiding threads, especially in Grace’s perception of feeling less desired by her husband. The natural distance between the partners after the birth of the child is shown consistently, but the predominant view is pessimistic, which intensifies the discomfort and rules out any reconstructive reading of the process.

Ramsay leads the character through an evolution that borders on the animalistic, transforming emotional degradation into a narrative axis. This taste for shock and impact, present in the director’s previous works, returns here in scenes that privilege instinct and the body more than rational explanation.

Jennifer Lawrence sustains what is most interesting about the film by presenting a performance of great physical and emotional commitment. Within the limitations of the script, it offers layers of intensity that justify much of the film’s commitment. However, when the direction and text allow exaggeration, the acting, no matter how good it is, cannot prevent some narrative options from being left without ballast. The result is a remarkable performance in a context that sometimes enhances and sometimes sabotages its dramatic effectiveness.

Die, Love provokes in a relevant way by placing the psychological degradation of a mother at the center of the debate on postpartum and emotional abandonment. When it keeps the focus on Grace, the film offers strong, disturbing sequences that deserve attention. On the other hand, structural flaws, such as inconsistent script decisions and supporting characters without a defined role, weaken the experience at key moments.