Saoirse Ronan is one of the most acclaimed actresses working today, having earned four Oscar nominations by the time she turned 30. Well, it seems likely that she will obtain her fifth nomination in 2025, as the alcoholism drama The Outrun allows her to give one of the finest performances of her career yet. Apart from Ronan’s stunning turn and the film’s beautiful visuals, The Outrun could prove to be somewhat off-putting to audiences with its low-key, restrained approach to its themes and story.
The Outrun Review
Based on the book by Amy Liptrot (who also co-wrote the screenplay), The Outrun follows a thirty-year-old woman struggling with her sobriety as she seeks refuge in her home in the Oakley Islands to escape the troubles of her life in London. Although this may seem like a familiar premise, The Outrun strips down the tropes of the story into something much more raw.
The Outrun is — very purposefully — an unfussy take on the genre. It is not your typical alcoholism drama, as it eschews the melodramatic beats one would expect of the formula. There are few explosive, dramatic outbursts as Fingscheidt and Liptrot seem far less interested in exploring these moments of “rock bottom” than the quieter yet still profoundly sad moments of struggle that recovering alcoholics face in their journey to sobriety. There is an elegance and nuance to the movie’s simplicity. While audiences can be forgiven for seeing something as restrained as this as uneventful, it is refreshing to see a different approach and perspective to these themes than we typically get.
Similarly deliberate but arguably less effective is the film’s nonlinear structure, as the protagonist’s fight to stay sober is interrupted by flashbacks from her past. We see both things she lost and things she’s better without, giving us context for her motivation for sobriety and some of the things that hold her back. However, there is a poeticism to the current-day sections, and the flashbacks interrupt its rhythm, like a stanza that falls out of the poem’s meter.
Fingscheidt and Liptrot also struggle to develop the characters beyond the protagonist. This is an incredibly empathetic, nuanced portrait of a recovering addict. However, the characters are only as important so far as they serve her arc. We have archetypes like the mother, the father, and the ex-lover — all of whom have plights of their own, but their issues are only shown insofar as they are an obstacle to the protagonist.
Still, as a movie that is thoroughly honed in on its protagonist, The Outrun serves as a perfect starring vehicle for Saoirse Ronan, who delivers more mature work than we’ve seen from her in the past. She shows a lot of restraint here, expressing lots of emotion through her quiet mannerisms. Ronan also nails the voiceover, which easily could have become monotonous in other hands but becomes almost mesmeric in hers.
The Outrun is also very impressive visually. German cinematographer Yunus Roy Imer (who had previously worked with Fingscheidt on her narrative feature debut, System Crasher) captures the seaside beauty of the Scottish isles in an incredibly painterly way that allows viewers to be utterly transfixed to the screen. It’s a significant departure from the gritty, visceral approach we’re accustomed to for these themes.
Is The Outrun worth watching?
Indeed, much of the merit of The Outrun comes down to the fact that it does things differently from most alcoholism dramas you have seen before. Although it’s not the most cinematic story, an empathetic approach, beautiful visuals, and an excellent performance by Saoirse Ronan keep things compelling. It’s not profoundly affecting, but it does accomplish what it sets out to do.
The Outrun hits theaters on October 4.
The Outrun Review — Saoirse Ronan Shines in Restrained, Quiet Addiction Drama
Saoirse Ronan delivers a stunning performance in The Outrun, a refreshingly restrained approach to the addiction drama. However, the film’s nonlinear structure threatens to undermine much of its emotional weight.
