The Outrun, which follows Rona as she struggles to acknowledge and eventually overcome her alcoholism, is understandably in shambles. It’s non-linear (our only cues are her hair color) and occasionally fractured to show just how messed up Rona’s headspace is. These decisions may or may not feel necessary to the viewer, but what centers the film and makes it nonetheless worthwhile is Ronan’s performance. She is convincing and compelling as an addict—no overacting here or disrespectful flairs, just a simple performance carried by the weight of her eyes, the pain of gestures, and the occasional creak in her voice. It’s not always clear what’s happening in The Outrun despite its simple plot, but it is always watchable thanks to Ronan’s magnificent turn.
"Refuge comes in the form of Rona finally becoming comfortable in her own skin, and Fingscheidt examines this with piercing visual and sonic command..."
— Katherine McLaughlin
"The Outrun is ultimately about how our search for certainty and control all too often results in the loss of what little we do have."
— Bilge Ebiri
Fresh out of rehab, Rona returns to the Orkney Islands—a place both wild and beautiful, right off the Scottish coast. Now 29 and after more than a decade of living life on the edge in London, where she both found and lost love, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her traumatic childhood merge with more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery.
Based on the memoir by Amy Liptrot, The Outrun follows biology major Rona (Saoirse Ronan) as she rehabilitates from her severe addiction to alcohol on a faraway Scottish island.
That joyous, earned ending.
There’s a reason Saoirse Ronan is a four-time Oscar nominee at just 30 years old, and this film adds to it.
Berlin
1 nomination
BAFTA
2 nominations
Sundance
1 nomination
Interesting movie ????