The Outrun ★★★

The Outrun opens with narration about selkies, a mythical creature said to be the souls of drowned people that take the form of seals in the day then come ashore as humans at night. If seen by a person, they are then stuck in their human body, cursed to feel forever out of place. It is just one part of The Outrun’s mythological foundation, which often stands in as a symbol for the plight of Rona (Saoirse Ronan) and serves as a key part of her own journey in lighting a path forward for her. Partially set in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, which offer plenty of its own local legends and folklore, the film follows Rona, a young woman who is an alcoholic. Based upon the memoir by Amy Liptrot (who also serves as co-writer), The Outrun is a heart-wrenching and honest story about the challenge of addiction and the unstable footing of recovery.

Director Nora Fingscheidt‘s character study of Rona aims to paint a picture of what led her to this life, the horrible struggle to “outrun” addiction, and a seeming impossibility of ever truly escaping it, only managing and resisting the temptation. Told non-linearly, The Outrun excels in capturing the cycle of addiction with days and time periods blending together – often the only way to tell the timeline is through Ronan’s hair which moves from blue to blonde to orange – into an experience that is both vicious and liberating. The structure is effective in capturing the ups-and-downs, while setting a poetic tone and rhythm, but can be disorienting and at times too much. The film’s choppiness works against it as well, leading to a lull in the middle that it eventually rises back out of but shows the drawbacks to this structure. 

Nevertheless, The Outrun is carried over every rough patch by a transcendent Saoirse Ronan. In a career of great performances, this immersive and humanistic portrayal of Rona has to stand in her top tier. She is so capable of expressing every little inch of Rona, the vocal inflections and facial expressions that say so much where words fall short. She is brilliant throughout, though shines especially in a scene with a local on the islands. Speaking to him in passing, he references going to see friends and the new-in-town Rona clearly wants an invite or, at least, some human contact. There is a longing, an awkwardness, and a bittersweet sentimentality in her tone and appearance, a desperation to behave like everybody else while sober but being unable to find herself in the same way as when she is drunk. The pairing of this type of moment with scenes of her, the life of the party, dancing the night away in a club epitomizes her struggle. As she explains, she does not feel as though she can live sober, always feeling out of place and unlike herself. The juxtaposition of her awkwardness sober and her uninhibited exuberance drunk is clear, which makes the crescendo-like climax so powerful, showcasing her ability to finally find her voice and internal magic without the influence of alcohol. Ronan sells every step of this process from the brutal rock bottom to the gradual fight for self-acceptance and the daily struggle of fighting her demons, bringing to life emotions and internal conflicts that allow The Outrun to feel so honest and transparent about addiction.

Fingscheidt and Liptrot excel in evoking the Orkney Islands as a character all their own. Its legends, animals, and even the weather, all become key elements of Rona and the islands’ inhabitants’ experiences. Rona will live on many of the islands, eventually taking up residence in an old cottage on Papa Westray as part of her work with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. There is a magic to this place, a warmth (even in the brutal cold and gale force winds) and homeliness that make it such an inviting and comfortable backdrop, while being an ideal spot to get away from a world filled with temptation and bad memories. It is in the waters surrounding the islands that Rona finds herself again. This is a vital element of her story and The Outrun succeeds in showing why Rona would be so drawn to these islands.

The Outrun does not tell a neat and tidy story. Even its finale, as stirring as it can be, is not really the end. Rona is warned that dealing with alcoholism “becomes easier” over time “but is never not hard.” But, through her return home that enables some time for self-reflection, this journey allows Rona to find some part of herself again. An incredible lead performance from Saoirse Ronan anchors the film, lending incredible humanity and a lived-in feeling that makes Rona’s story feel so immediate and raw. While its non-linear structure provides challenges, Ronan’s performance carries it through to a satisfying and emotionally stirring finale.