‘The Outrun’ Shines a Light on Addiction (and its Star)
We may still be several months away from awards season and things could certainly change, but after watching her latest turn as an alcoholic trying to regain control of her life in “The Outrun,” the relative lack of Oscar buzz surrounding Saoirse Ronan is quite astounding.
Saoirse Ronan as Rona in “The Outrun.” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classic)
“The Outrun” follows Rona (Ronan), a 29-year-old graduate student, whose hard partying London lifestyle causes her to lose her long-term boyfriend, alienates her friends and family, lands eventually her (following a particularly horrible incident) in a strict inpatient rehab program.
With sobriety in hand and her personal life in shambles, she retreats (temporarily) to her family home in the Orkney Islands. The sparsely populated area offers little temptation, but even less in terms of social opportunities, and forces her to confront a dysfunctional home life that may very well have played into her addiction.
While there are many things to like about the movie, the one that stands out most to me is the nonlinear path it follows. It mixes Rona’s present with both her tumultuous youth (a father with serious semi-treated mental health issues and a mother who emotionally abandoned her family for her faith) and the booze-filled London days that led her to rock bottom.
Admittedly, I’m a sucker for a well told nonlinear story (“Pulp Fiction” and “Memento” are high on my list of favorites), but it plays especially well here given that recovery (from addiction or otherwise) is rarely linear. It’s a messy proposition filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, progress and setbacks. Without those things, “The Outrun” might very be a very average movie.
Unsurprisingly, the second thing that stands out here is Ronan. There are few actors whose performances are “can’t miss viewing” for me, and if she isn’t already in that group, she may be now. She’s surrounded here by a capable cast of characters, but their stories are essentially plot devices to fuel Rona’s journey. Often on screen alone, or the only one with consequential actions or dialogue, Ronan owns the screen and brings this sad character to life. She’s flawed and says and does awful things that should make you despise her, but Ronan plays her with such vulnerability and earnestness that you can’t help but root for her. I suspect when the dust settles early next year, the 30-year-old will have secured her fifth Oscar nomination.
(Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classic)
The final standout here is actually a two-parter: the beauty or Orkney and the work of cinematographer
Yunus Roy Imer to capture it. Taking place over the course of several months, you see both the brutality and the beauty that you’d expect from islands bordered by the northern Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. The alternating chaos and serenity of the land serving as another parallel to Rona’s journey.
Having said that, it is not without its warts. It’s very much a drama that covers deep subjects and there’s not a lot of levity to break things up, which makes the story drag at times. And if you’ve ever witnessed someone in the throes of addiction, some of the scenes could be a bit triggering. Most of the Rona’s actions are in the vein of a PG13 horror, where you see the action starting and the outcome, but your mind is left to fill in the blanks. There are some scenes, however, where you see more and they are tough to watch.
“The Outrun” won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy a well told story about a difficult (and common) subject that features an incredibly strong lead performance and stunning scenery, it almost certainly will be.
★★★★ of ★★★★★
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