The Outrun (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands (where she grew up) hoping to heal. Adapted from Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir.

My Take – Indeed, sometimes the best stories are the simple ones. Such is the case of this film adaptation of Amy Liptrot‘s 2016 memoir that takes us through her first hand experiences with alcoholism.

Here, director Nora Fingsheidt (The Unforgivable) takes us through a horrid and also calm world view of an alcoholic, in a lyrical and free-form structure that is filled with metaphors and moods of fragmentation through the changes in the protagonist’s hair. Deftly taking the viewer on a journey to loss and addiction and back again in two intertwined timelines that slip along next to each other, each revealing themselves, piece by piece.

Sure, themes of addiction, recovery, and confronting one’s past have been explored many times before, often with more impact and nuance. But this one isn’t exactly trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the treatment techniques, instead it is more focused on portraying the continuous journey of someone’s soul entangled in addiction.

A result of which, from start to finish, the narrative is tough, beautiful and gripping, becoming a showcase for its producer/star Saoirse Ronan, who is in nothing short of excellent in every frame, with her acting just keeping you glued to the screen.

The role was certainly not an easy one, but, the challenge to take on a character like this, must have been too difficult to pass by, and rightly so as the 30 year old actress deserves all the acclaim coming her way.

Told in nonlinear order, the story follows Rona (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish woman, who was bought up on the Orkney Isles, but hankers for the bright lights of London like so many other young people from isolated communities often do. Now recently out of rehabilitation following a decade of alcoholism treatment, and hoping to help clear her mind to remain sober, she returns to the family home where her separated English parents, Andrew (Stephen Dillane), who is bipolar, and Annie (Saskia Reeves), who is religious, still reside.

Staying with them alternately, Rona helps her father on his farm and meets her mother’s religious friends. All the while, she pines for her student years in London, where she was a biology graduate, often went clubbing and had a serious relationship with Daynin (Paapa Essiedu). That is until, Rona’s drinking slowly turns addictive, causing problems in her job, relationship, and leads her towards a dangerous situation.

Here, the timelines are threaded together to feed us the causes of her predicament whilst looking at her own efforts to get and stay clean. The jumping around reflects the mental struggles she goes through in her quest for sobriety. As mentioned above, more than depicting the turmoil of Rona’s addiction, it captures the essence of her journey toward healing with authenticity and grace.

But while the screenplay does well to portray the pitfalls of living in a big city, it also deserves credit for showing the Orkney Isles as a clearly beautiful, but sometimes desolate place. Director Nora Fingscheidt‘s lyrical approach, combined with the haunting beauty of the Orkney Islands, creates a powerful metaphor for Rona’s internal struggles and resilience. The wild and untamed nature of the island Orkney reflects Rona’s chaotic past and the isolation she feels due to her addiction.

The islands’ unpredictable weather and vast but open spaces clearly aim to symbolize freedom and the threat of confronting one’s demons. The cyclical nature of the tides and the relentless winds serve as metaphors for the ebb and flow of her recovery process, emphasizing the ongoing struggle and resilience required to overcome addiction.

Her self-imposed isolation flying in the face of her naturally more gregarious personality. There is also a substantial amount of science and nature included. In voiceover, Rona details the specifics of addictive drinking, as well as the mythology of seals and selkies.

Obviously, it helps that it is a complete Saoirse Ronan show, who performance embraces both stories with utter conviction. Undoubtedly, having already been nominated for four Oscars, she is one of the best actresses of this generation. Everything she does in this film shows how much power and authenticity she shows to her character, from subtle and poignant expressions to violent drunk acting. It’s a range that only a few actresses can pull off, and Saoirse handled her character in a careful yet personal manner.

She is ably backed up by a small but brilliant cast that includes the likes of Paapa Essideu, Stephen Dillane and Saskia Reeves who are thought pitch perfect. On the whole, ‘The Outrun’ is an honest and emotionally crafted exploration of addiction and recovery, anchored by Saoirse Ronan‘s powerful performance.