THE OUTRUN
Based on journalist and author Amy Liptrot’s 2016 memoir, Nora Fingscheidt‘s THE OUTRUN stars Saoirse Ronan as a young woman who returns home to Orkney after completing an alcoholic rehabilitation program in London.
The editing by Stephan Bechinger is a triumph. The structure bounces from before, during, and after rehab, often noted by Rona’s dye-dipped locks and general demeanor. The film delves into the outside judgment of those who have never experienced addiction.
Saoirse Ronan narrates the constant temptation in scientific terms while scenes of alcoholic behavior play against her words. Rona’s work in rehab is beautifully juxtaposed with her nature work in Orkney. This narrative device becomes a repeated reprieve from her reality. It feels poetic.
The dizzying handheld camera work while Rona is intoxicated mirrors her physical state. Paired with sprawling cliffs and coastlines of Orkney, it is stunning cinematography by Yunus Roy Imer. John Gürtler and Jan Miserre‘s collaborative score is beautiful.
Saoirse Ronan is spectacular, delivering a raw portrait of a fractured and flawed woman. Rona is incredibly lonely, seeking genuine human connection. When drunk, she is emotionally abusive. Saoirse explores every facet of sickness and redemption. It is a nuanced turn. Give her an Oscar already.
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching part of THE OUTRUN is the study of cyclical addiction and the loss of youth. It is a magnificent portrait of interconnected self-reflection, healing, and forgiveness.
In Theaters October 4, 2024
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, Saskia Reeves
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt
Screenplay by Amy Liptrot & Nora Fingscheidt
Produced by Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan
Executive Produced by: Claudia Yusef, Kieran Hannigan, Maria Logan, Anne Sheehan, Luane Gauer, George Hamilton, James Pugh, Janina Vilsmaier
Based on the memoir by Amy Liptrot
After a decade away in London, 29-year-old Rona (Saoirse Ronan) returns home to the Orkney Islands. Sober but lonely, she tries to suppress her memory of the events which set her on this journey of recovery. Slowly the mystical land enters her inner world and – one day at a time – Rona finds hope and strength in herself among the heavy gales and the bracingly cold sea. Based on the bestselling memoir by Amy Liptrot, who co-wrote the screenplay with Fingscheidt, THE OUTRUN is an acutely honest drama about addiction and recovery.
RT: 118 Minutes
You must be logged in to post a comment.