The Outrun
Written by Amy Liptrot & Nora Fingscheidt
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, and Saskia Reeves
Runtime 118 minutes
MPAA Rating R
In theaters October 4

by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer

Based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir of the same name, The Outrun is about the damage we do to ourselves and others. Rona (Saoirse Ronan) is in Orkney, off the coast of Scotland, with her parents, but in a flashback, we see her destructive days in London. An alcoholic, Rona struggles with how messy her life in London got and with healing parts of herself.

There are three layers to the film: the current time with Rona in Orkney (and later volunteering with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a conservation charity), the flashbacks in London, and what director Nora Fingscheidt calls the “Nerd-layer.” In Liptrot’s memoir, she offers scientific research and historical explanations for selkies (in Irish folklore these are mythical creatures), waves, and alcohol, for example. These are present in the film as well, with voice-over from Ronan and animation, (what I assume to be) stock footage, or landscapes as visuals. 

Some of these detours work better than others. I think the opening one about the selkies is delightful, and the animated section is visually stunning. But toward the middle of the film, I wasn’t particularly interested in an explanation of alcohol and its effects on the body. I want to stay with Rona in her struggle, and feeling removed from her in this voice-over section pulled me out of it. At an AA meeting, we see Rona talking about how good drinking made her feel, but that is intercut with scenes of her being downright awful to her boyfriend and destructive to her own body. It may have felt good, but it wasn’t good for her. Yet, somehow, The Outrun depicts Rona’s journey without ever going for a cheap After-School Special approach. There’s so much more to Rona than her alcoholism, which makes her story all the more compelling.

Saoirse Ronan does incredible work here. Throughout the film, she’s tasked with embodying the full gamut of human emotion. In flashbacks, she’s casually cruel to her boyfriend and even random bystanders. In the present, she’s desperate for human connection but not quite able to get through when sober. In the long sections when she’s alone, you can tell how that isolation makes her feel. I also think the supporting cast is delightful. Paapa Essiedu is at once lovely and understandably downtrodden as Rona’s boyfriend, Daynin. (I want to mention that I saw him in the play The Effect earlier this year and was equally impressed by his ability to play both charming and hurt.) Stephen Dillane, who plays Rona’s father, Andrew, has a really tough role in playing reserved with brief moments of mania, as Andrew struggles with bipolar disorder.

As someone who has grown up around an alcoholic, a mean alcoholic at that, there were a few scenes that felt particularly effective. Rona’s quick to anger when drunk, and she turned caustic to anyone who tried to help her or suggest she stop drinking. Then we see what kinds of hurt Rona went through later on in London, as her drinking escalated, and we can see how devastating that out-of-control behavior is for her as well. Likewise, I think this film’s visually stunning. The landscape of the islands of Orkney is obviously beautiful, and the camerawork, especially the wide shots where Rona is dwarfed by the incredible land around her, is a feast for the eyes. However, I think the film runs a bit long, and as mentioned previously, there are a couple nerdy diatribes I could have done without. There’s a very meaningful story here, and while most things feel tuned in and focused, not everything works. The emotional core of the movie is incredibly strong, and Ronan holds that center very well.

While the flashbacks are clear enough to follow (especially with Rona’s hair color changing often in the London scenes), I did find some of the chronology a bit hard to parse. While some reveals land with a gut punch, some of the others are a bit muddled by the lack of clarity in when we are in Rona’s life. I understand the function of the nonchronological storytelling, I’m not sure every part of it worked.

On the whole, there are a lot of beautiful parts in The Outrun, and I do think it’s worth a watch. The performances and visual storytelling are particularly strong, though some of the editing feels disjointed. If nothing else, tune in for a tour de force performance from Saoirse Ronan, who, for my money, is one of the most reliably great actresses in the biz.