Die, My Love ending explained: The entire films becomes an act of letting go

Lynne Ramsay most recently gave us a peek into a woman's life who is struggling with her own battle in Die, My Love. Jennifer Lawrence's character, Grace, is at the center of the story who having moved from the urban settings of New York City to rural Montana.

Rural life is usually many people crave in the fast-moving world for their peace of mind. However, in Grace's life, there is everything but peace. Her inner conflicts lead to a fiery ending, where she just disappears into a burning forest, an ending described as literal as well as metaphorical, and it all becomes an act of letting go.

Her character in Die, My Love wants to be a free spirit, but all these things happening around her instead lead her into insanity, and she finds herself in a mental institution for some time. When she returns, whatever her place was left for her own house is seemingly gone.

What is the meaning of Die, My Love's fiery end?

Grace is an aspiring author in Die, My Love. (Image via MUBI)

Ramsay has left this movie open to interpretation for the audience. We see Grace and her boyfriend Jackson (Robert Pattinson) going on a drive after a house party. She wasn't feeling quite well back there.

After some time, they stop and share a moment of silence, and Grace kisses her husband for the last time. She leaves the vehicle after this and goes on to set her journal on fire. Grace is an aspiring author in the film, so looking at this feels quite saddening as it tells that nothing matters to her now, not even her passion.

Now the journal is burning, she undresses herself and starts walking towards the forest. This journal, she has set ablaze, becomes a spark for a bigger wildfire in the forest in which she disappears.

Jackson tries to take a look at what's happening and, for a moment, it even seems like he is going to try to save her. However, there's a relief on his face after this moment, which might mean that he is happy that she is free, or that he is. We can see he is sad with this life too, even though he is pretty much the reason for Grace's condition.

The film's title, Die, My Love, is, in a way, a sum-up of this entire ending sequence. Jackson didn't save her and let his love die in the fire. There is a debate about whether she died or not, but we can pretty much say after this that she is gone for good.

What did the director think of Die, My Love's ending

Robert Pattinson is Jackson in Die, My Love. (Image via MUBI)

The director recently talked to TIME magazine about the film's ending, and she says,

"The end is quite metaphorical. I mean, she burns her own book that she's been writing. She burns work you've never seen. It's like this woman burning her world down. At one point, I had her saving Rob from the forest and all ends well, but it just felt right in capping it there. I wanted it to feel free, not dark, to have this kind of power in it."

Grace suffered as a woman, though not because she was a mother; she loved her child. However, the long absences of her husband and isolation drove her into this final act, which naturally feels understandable.

Undeniably, the entire movie becomes an act of letting go at the end. Jackson let go of her, and Grace let go of everything.