Kimber Myers
A story of addiction and its consequences, The Outrun could have simply been a depressing drama about self-destruction — and it certainly has those moments. Yet as much as the film takes a sober look at the life of an alcoholic, it’s surprisingly hopeful, even while acknowledging the small chances that its protagonist faces in working to overcome her alcoholism.
The Outrun bobs back and forth in time, weaving together a lifetime of the experiences of biologist Rona (Saoirse Ronan), from her childhood living with a mentally ill father (Stephen Dillane) in the Orkney Islands of Scotland to her decade spent drinking her way across London and falling for Daynin (Paapa Essiedu). After a stint in rehab, she returns to the Orkney Islands to continue her sobriety with the encouragement of her ultra-religious mother (Saskia Reeves). She begins working for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and searching for the rare corncrake species. The job structures her days and embeds her more deeply with Orkney’s land and the small community that populates these islands.
Stories of addiction aren’t especially revolutionary in cinema, but director Nora Fingscheidt and her co-writer Amy Liptrot have adapted Liptrot’s memoir into something new and special in the subgenre. The details of Rona’s work as a biologist are fascinating in their specificity, and the remote beauty of the Orkney Islands setting is captured well by cinematographer Yunus Roy Imer.
Yet the filmmakers go beyond a traditional adaptation as they take advantage of the medium and use a variety of styles, including animation and archival footage. The Outrun refuses to shy away from the grim reality of Rona’s experience and the effects of her alcoholism (on both herself and those around her) while she’s in the depths of her addiction, but there’s a fantastical quality to the film as well. From its opening scene, it delves into the mythology of Scotland and the Orkney Islands, dealing as much with the legends of the past as Rona’s own painful history and her inner life. Flashbacks and memories permeate her present existence, and her life as a scientist influences how she views the world, even while she makes decisions that defy logic. Nature plays a critical role in her growth, with the roar of the wind and water in Orkney replacing the London hubbub, but she still can’t drown out noise of the choices she’s made. This combination doesn’t always feel cohesive — and not every element works all the time — but it remains largely compelling.
After The Unforgivable and System Crasher, Fingscheidt makes another film about a broken woman struggling to put the pieces of her life back together, and she finds a fine collaborator in Ronan. The Outrun requires the entirety of the four-time Oscar nominee’s range, as she plays Rona throughout a variety of changes over a decade’s time. There are the requisite partying and puking scenes that are standard in these types of narratives, but there are also moments of silence and contemplation. Her character spends plenty of time alone in the Orkney Islands, necessitating emoting without words, and Ronan — one of the best actresses working today — is up for the challenge, whether she’s lying on the floor or dancing. This likely isn’t a big enough film to net Ronan her fifth Academy Award nod (or a win), but it’s a role deserving of attention as it further cements the certainty of her talent, particularly for playing flawed characters who earn our empathy.
Rona’s journey in The Outrun ends exactly as viewers might expect, yet it remains far from predictable. Instead, this drama is at once inventive and affirming in its unique approach to a familiar story. Its final moments brim with optimism, even—and perhaps especially—in the face of daunting odds.
B
“The Outrun” is in theaters this weekend.
