User Reviews

Saoirse Ronan could easily have a second career narrating nature documentaries.

Never underestimate how difficult it is to play various stages of drunk, addiction and sobriety and Ronan nails it. Movies with a distinct cinematic style are becoming increasingly rare so I'm so grateful for what Nora Fonscheidt achieved with her visual storytelling The colours and textures were just stunning especially around perspective and memory.

Obviously it's the Saoirse show but the supporting cast is pitch perfect, especially Stephen Dillane and Saskia Reeves as her parents. Paapa Essideu is such a subtle screen presence but the camera just loves him.

If you are fan of the very adaptable Saoirse Ronan then you'll probably love this - she throws just about everything into the role of "Rona". She has returned to her mother's home in Orkney to recover from a fairly torrid time of booze and drugs in London. The timelines are threaded together to drip feed us the causes of her current predicament whilst looking at her own efforts to get - and stay - clean. Of course, there are domestic issues at home too with her father suffering from bi-polar disorder and her mother having turned to religion which add to the turbulence of her life. In the end, she takes a job working on a remote island for the RSPB trying to find an example of the once plentiful but now rare corn crake. With the weather closing in on her small cottage and her determined to get well again despite the familial pressures, the woman has her work cut out for her. Can she stay the course or is a relapse inevitable? It is a strong effort from Ronan here, and Andrew Dillane also delivers quite effectively as her dad - especially once the film has got up an head of steam and the characters more fully develop. The photography of this sometimes beautiful and other times bleak environment adds really well to the overarching sense of the claustrophobic as the story plays out. Her self-imposed isolation flying in the face of her naturally more gregarious personality. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the treatment techniques and struggles involved here, but it does provide us with a powerfully character-led drama that must have cost a fortune in hair dye and doesn't offer any rose-tinted solutions.

This movie deftly takes the viewer on a journey to loss and addiction and back again in two intertwined stories - past and present that slip along next to each other, each revealing themselves, piece by piece. Saoirse Ronan's performance embraces both stories with utter conviction. She ably backed up by a small but brilliant cast. At times, you could believe you were watching a 'fly on the wall' documentary, the characters were so unassumingly true to life in their portrayal of the London and Orkney roles. The parents were particularly well played.

Finally, the backdrop. Orkney in winter contributed so much drama and atmosphere.

Recommended.

We caught "The Outrun" at MIFF, and while the film boasts a haunting atmosphere and a standout performance from Saoirse Ronan, it ultimately left me underwhelmed. The Orkney Islands provide a stunning backdrop that mirrors Rona's internal struggles, and Ronan skillfully brings depth to her character. The film's mood is immersive, drawing you into the isolation and emotional turmoil that define Rona's journey.

However, the story itself felt long and drawn out, which made the experience more tedious than engaging. Themes of addiction, recovery, and confronting one's past have been explored many times in cinema, often with more impact and nuance. Unfortunately, "The Outrun" doesn't add much new to this familiar territory, making it feel like a missed opportunity despite its strong atmosphere and performances.