Jennifer Lawrence goes all out for a tour de force performance. In various scenes in the random timeline, she’s pregnant or postpartum, but almost always unhappy. Robert Pattinson plays her husband, who’s constantly trying to patiently cope with her increasingly destructive behavior. This examination of her conflicted character gives Lawrence plenty of time to emote, but the shifting storyline creates arbitrary episodes that add to viewer frustration. As the mother-in-law, Sissy Spacek adds the few moments of caring and warmth, while she has her own inconsequential subplot. Director Lynne Ramsay blends elements of experimental cinema (and an old-school screen ratio) in what’s probably an attempt to mirror the mother’s own mental state. As a result, there’s little real empathy created for her dilemma, making this more an edgy character study than a compelling drama. 
(2.5 / 5)
