A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Outrun” (2024).
I don’t think “The Outrun”, given it’s British setting and strong dialects, will play well in the US so I think Oscar consideration is unlikely. But Saoirse Ronan surely deserves a shot at the Best Actress nomination from BAFTA this year.
Bob the Movie Man Rating*:
(* Sorry – I seem to be stuck on 4 stars at the moment… there is a glut of very good films out at the moment!)
Plot Summary:
Rona (Saoirse Ronan) is a 29-year old struggling with addiction to alcohol. She escapes to her home town in the Orkneys to try to keep dry but faces more struggles in dealing with her over-protective and religious Mum (Saskia Reeves) and her bipolar Dad (Stephen Dillane).
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong language, sexual threat, injury detail, sex, addiction references”.)
Talent:
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, Saskia Reeves.
Directed by: Nora Fingscheidt.
Written by: Nora Fingscheidt & Amy Liptrot. (Story by Amy Liptrot, Nora Fingscheidt & Daisy Lewis. Based on the book by Amy Liptrot.)
Running Time: 1h 58m.
“The Outrun” Summary:
Positives:
- Anchored by a brilliant performance by Saoirse Ronan.
- Unsentimental & very factual telling of a story rooted in truth.
- Timelines keep you on your toes!
- Glorious cinematography on Orkney.
Negatives:
- For me, it could have told its story in less time.
- I know it’s the title of the book, but the film’s title is a bit obscure.
Review of “The Outrun”:
An award-worthy performance from Saoirse Ronan.
What most struck me about this film is the acting performance at its heart. Saoirse Ronan gives a blisteringly good performance as the struggling alcoholic. (Do Orkney people speak with more of an Oirish accent than a Scottish one? I’ll let it pass!) We see her descent into darkness in London through flashbacks and it is a well-filmed and brilliantly acted dive indeed. It really takes skill to portray drunkenness to this degree. Much of the rest of the film sees Ronan in various degrees of desperation. As she says “I can’t be happy when I’m sober”. That being said, a moment when she does experience joy – while wild-water swimming – is portrayed as truly joyful! (You have to feel for Ronan and co-star Saskia Reeves for having to brave the North Atlantic waters wearing nothing but a bathing suit!)
Ronan even has to do live lambing on camera which she did after observation of other farmers and coaching from another local farmer. She commented in a BBC interview:
“When you pull a lamb out at first, they look like they’re dead,”.
“They are pretty lifeless and the first time you do it you are worried you will hurt them, but you do have to be quite rough.
“After I got the first one out of the way I felt a bit more confident but to have to keep that mask of confidence over my face while inside I was completely terrified was probably one of the biggest acting challenges I’ve ever faced.”
Alcoholism sucks.
The film, based on the real life of co-writer Amy Liptrot, is gloriously factual and unsentimental. Alcoholism is properly portrayed as a life-sentence. The brain’s neurons are “permanently wired” that way. A scene with a finger and a glass (shown in the trailer) becomes tense and shocking in equal measure.
Clever direction.
German director Nora Fingscheidt is constantly shifting the timeline around between past and present without warning. Some of these are back to Rona’s childhood (I can’t seem to see a credit for “Young Rona” on IMDB to give her a shout-out.) Thankfully, the older Rona keeps dyeing her hair different colours, so you have a visual cue as to ‘when you are’. But its very clever and it works brilliantly within the story.
This is matched by glorious shots of the Orkney Islands, both above and below water, by cinematographer Yunus Roy Imer. He makes the Orkneys look beautiful on the good days and incredibly bleak on the bad ones!
A bit restless.
I have to admit that while I thought this was a terrific film, it’s not a ‘rewatcher’ for me. Parts of the film I think could have been cut down a bit and personally I got a bit restless at times: I was actually surprised the the running time was less than 2 hours as it felt longer to me. I wouldn’t want to butcher it, as it used its time to build character and mood, but a few nips and tucks for 10 minutes less running time would, I personally think, have made for a better film. (Worth noting that the illustrious Mrs Movie Man, who loved the film even more than I did (4.5*s) disagrees with me on this.)
What’s with the title?
I know it’s the title of Liptrot’s book, but it was a bit obscure for me.
In his Guardian review, Peter Bradshaw starts by commenting:
The title means an outlying coastal piece of farmland on Orkney; it is not suitable for cultivation, but so continually windswept with Atlantic spray that its grass stays short as if naturally tended, and so functions metaphorically in various ways. It could be a wholesome, bracing, healing place for troubled city dwellers; or a place whose restorative quality is an illusion, a place every bit as violent and mysteriously destructive as the city; or it could even somehow stand for the actual person who has come there, the low-functioning addict, shaped and flattened by forces all but impossible to outrun.
The land definition is actually referenced by Rona’s Dad, Andrew, as he waves his hand towards the coastal area. But it strikes me that Bradshaw too is grasping at straws in trying to find a good metaphorical explanation for the title. I’m sure Liptrot knew the word from her childhood and thought it a good play on words that she was trying to outrun her alcohol dependency. But that only works if you know the word in the first place! I would have thought a more pithy and relatable title like “Dry” would have worked better.
Summary Thoughts on “The Outrun”
This is a really well-made drama turning the spotlight on the struggles of alcoholics trying to stay sober. It’s a tough watch at times, but also surprisingly uplifting.
And, if like me, you were able to predict what the final shot of the film will be, give yourself and Gryffindor 10 house points!
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “The Outrun”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgzzDQ3OpOk .
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