The Outrun

Saoirse Ronan plays Rona, a young woman who develops an addiction to alcohol while living in London so she returns to her native Orkney to recover. Based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot.

They’ve put this together in a non-linear structure that sometimes takes the wind out of Saoirse Ronan’s sails a little. She gives a wonderful naturalistic performance, free of weird affectation or cliche, but just as you find yourself in the moment it cuts away to a different point in time.

On the other hand, I found a pleasing flow and symmetry to the film thanks to its structure. It’s not all match-cuts by the dictionary definition of the term but there’s clearly been a lot of thought and care put into the edit and they seem to match the vibes between different points in time just right.

It’s a loose piece of storytelling that won’t be for everyone, but I found that Fingscheidt’s creative use of all the tools of film making resonated with me. It displays a real elemental grasp of how to combine sound and vision. She captures a few moments in time, a struggle, an emotion. It’s not a breezy comedy but it’s definitely not a gruelling tale of self-destruction.

I’ve actually been to the Orkney islands, perhaps 10 times. Some dear old family friends of ours live in Stromness and for a while as a kid growing up I’d go up there and visit. I’ve even been out to Papay (aka Papa Westray) where Rona spends a lot of time in the film.

There’s absolutely an unusual air to the place, it doesn’t feel entirely part of Britain or even Scotland. Its history goes back to the Norsemen and you feel it more than in most places, there are traces of it everywhere you look. Also, it’s super fucking windy and there are no trees. The Outrun really nails the vibe of the place. Beautiful when it wants to be, but often brutal and almost inhospitable.