The Outrun Movie Review

“The Outrun” is a fiercely evocative movie of struggle and recovery from a severe addition to alcohol. The main character hits rock bottom in London, and travels back to her home in a remote island off Scotland. She learns to live each day at peace and face her issues — not flee from them. Because addiction is one thing you can’t ‘out run’…

Rona (played by Saoirse Ronan) is a free-spirited college student in London, living on the wild side. Her PhD work on her is starting to slack. Rona has taken to closing her books and would rather close down the bars. She meets a striking young man named Daynin (played by Paapa Essiedu). They spend all their time together. Rona hides nothing from him, except her emergency booze stash.

Her friend Gloria (played by Izuka Hoyle) loves to have a party partner for the bar hopping. But when Rona spends too many times actually hopping onto the bar — Julie knows that Rona has a problem. Daynin has seen how Rona is slowly getting out of control. He cannot take any more. Even his love for Rona will not keep him by her side. Rona goes off the deepest of the deep ends…

Rona gets into a rehab center in London. With supervised coaching and daily AA meetings, she is beginning to see another aspect of her life. She finishes the program, and she make arrangements with her mother in Scotland. Annie (played by Saskia Reeves) lives on the island of Orkney. She and her husband Andrew (played by Stephen Dillane) have a farm there.

There is huge contrast between bustling London and the small farms of Orkney. Rona goes there, back to where she grew up, to stay with her mother. Her father suffers from bouts of bipolar events that lead to family stress. He lives by himself in a trailer out back. Her mother has joined an evangelical Christian group, so that will be another thing that will trouble Rona.

Rona has blond hair that was tinted a light blue. But as she gets further along in her sobriety, her hair grows out and only the tips are blue. With drinking out of the question and very few other things to do — Rona finds out about the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). This group has a job that she can use to fill the time in the summer.

The RSPB needs information about a very rare bird called a corncrake. She can work for the group and get a small house to use. She can drive around to various grids around the island, stopping and listening for the unique call of that bird. This gives Rona a new purpose, and a lot of extra time. She explores the island, writes down her impressions, and makes sketches of landmarks. This will later become the basis of a memoir.

Rona has a rough experience meeting up with her dad one day. He is passed out in the trailer, with many glasses of almost empty drinks all around. The temptation is too much for Rona, and she dips her finger in a glass of wine. That taste leads to an all-night fall off the sobriety wagon. Rona fights with her mother, and questions her ability to stay clean and sober.

Later Rona meets an older man who lives on the island. He is in recovery for over twelve years now, and he tells Rona something profound. Rona asks if it ever gets easier. He tells her that staying sober will never be easy for anyone in their condition. But every day sober makes it less hard. Rona starts to understand that the way to her future is to work on it — every day.

Winter comes, and the northern island gets a harsh Winter period. Rona stays, alone in the small house from the RSPB. She is living day-to-day, and is willing to see the good in herself and in others. That is a lesson that she was late in learning. When the Winter breaks, she will leave the small house and leave the island. She will leave her parents and go back to London. Perhaps with her newly found inner strength, she will learn to rebuild her life.

As Rona prepares to leave, she has a dream that her hair is full of flames. It is not on fire – but rather her inner spirit is bursting out from her hair. She walks down the road on the island of Orkney, she has tinted her hair a bright red. She is ready to leave this part of her life behind. But what is that sound? Is there a rare corncrake following her?

“The Outrun” is a movie with a powerful central performance. Saoirse Ronan is front-and-center in just about every scene in the movie. But the beauty of the Orkney Islands is feature almost as a co-star. The real-life memoir by Amy Liptrot is the basis of the story, with all its high and low points.

Director Nora Fingscheidt has put this movie together in such a way that it is taxing to watch it. That is not in a bad sense, because she is attempting to make Rona’s turbulent past addition with alcohol a fractured memory.

The past events and glimpses of rowdy nights can show you exactly how out-of-control Rona becomes. The editing by Stephan Bechinger is frantic and crazy for a reason. The contrast of bustling London to the rural islands is stark. The natural beauty of the cliffs and shores is amazing.

Yes, there are other actors in this movie – but all them mostly are reflecting the light given out by Saoirse Ronan. Her passion for this character of Rona gives the movie a very distinctive edge. She is not playing half-measures, seeing that this woman has deep-set fears and self-doubts. She makes the character’s agony, and then recovery, even sweeter.

“The Outrun” is about a woman who is slowly destroying her life with drink. She is able to face loneliness and pain – and learns to find control and peace. And writes a book about it at the same time…