Committed, fearless Ronan triumphs in nonfiction addiction drama ‘The Outrun’
“The Outrun” — 2 stars
Nora Fingscheidt’s contemplative and cluttered biographical drama “The Outrun” adds a little bit of individuality to the cinematic canon of struggling substance abusers bottoming out over and over until finally clawing their way triumphantly out of addiction to face a brighter tomorrow.
The Scottish production mostly showcases the commendable commitment and tenaciously fearless talents of actress (and producer) Saoirse Ronan.
“Outrun” does for Ronan what “The Lost Weekend” did for Ray Milland, “The Man With the Golden Arm” did for Frank Sinatra, “Days of Wine and Roses” did for Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, “Clean and Sober” did for Michael Keaton, and others: give them Oscar-caliber credentials for throwing vanity into the ocean and rebuilding characters from the atoms up.
(I share a passing familiarity with these people. My younger brother, Don, died a homeless alcoholic at 47.)
Ronan’s heroine, Rona, is a very specific one based on a memoir by Scotland native Amy Liptrot, who lived in the uncharitably harsh Orkney Islands and wrote honestly about her alcoholism and relationships.
The movie is also a study in aloneness, not necessarily loneliness.
After living 10 years in London, 29-year-old Rona returns to Orkney to pick up the pieces of her life post-rehab.
Her mother Annie (Saskia Reeves) has become a dedicated religious convert, and not the funny sort of religious mom in TV’s “Young Sheldon.” Her separated father, Andrew (Stephen Dillane), battles a bipolar disorder while living in a rundown caravan. She does not have healthy family support.
Rona spends a lot of time with their sheep farm, feeding the animals, birthing sheep babies, and callously dumping the carcasses of those that do not survive. It’s a bore for someone dreaming of something more.
The promise of romance pops up when she meets Daynin (Paapa Essiedu), a young man who stays with her for a while, until Rona relapses into booze and pubs and conflicts. The movie only sketches their relationship. So when he moves out, leaving her alone — again — the departure fails to sadden or anger us.
“The Outrun” comes laden with extensive voice-over narration covering a wide spectrum of topics: art, history, how alcohol affects the blood, bird migration paths, and folklore involving monsters and seals that sound like wolves howling.
These numerous narrative asides probably worked well in the book to establish the author’s mindset. In the more literal realm of movies, they feel poetically pretentious and add considerable weight to a heavy drama already testing its characters’ welcome.
“Outrun” (the title apparently refers to remote areas of grazing farmland, although no major dictionary I consulted confirms this) intends to celebrate Rona’s indomitable spirit for her bootstraps dedication in beating addiction.
So why fall back on those tired Hollywood cliches of singing along with a pop tune and performing a wild dance to signify the achievement of happiness or contentment?
Why is it necessary for her old boyfriend to return? To certify that her life has finally achieved balance and normalness? Didn’t he desert her when she most needed him?
Didn’t this woman succeed, without a man?
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Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, Saskia Reeves
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Other: A Sony Pictures Classics theatrical release. Rated R for language, sexual situations. 118 minutes