The Outrun (2024) Review

Rona had been living life on the edge in London and when she reaches breaking point with addiction and wanting to properly heal, she returns to Scotland’s Orkney Islands where she grew up.

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Battling the demons of your past is never an easy thing to contend with and Rona could have had it all and achieved so much. Not being able to come to terms with her childhood and her parents Andrew and Annie. Her father suffering with bipolar disorder and the impact that would have not only on her but her mother than turning to religion.

We see Rona’s life slipping away the more she drank alcohol, the different moments and turning points that were missed and how eventually it all came crashing down and she eventually accepted that she needed help. I liked the format of the story being told in flashback form at times and seeing how easy it actually could be to end up that situation.

Harrowing and emotional from start to finish as we see the desperation of addiction, hiding the bottles around the house and destroying what looked to be a lovely relationship with Daynin who tried his best to be there and help but people can only take so much. The film seriously takes you in and makes you wonder if you’ve ever missed cries for help from anyone you’ve been close with.

It made me think about the binge drinking I did myself when I was at University and in my late teens and early twenties, how many of us could have properly fallen into that addiction side and needed to drink to feel better and enjoy anything. I guess it’s something you cannot predict and maybe we just get lucky realising that actually you don’t need to drink to have a good time?

Something that was never ever going to be easy and we are shown that it has to be one day at a time. Rona must learn to channel her addiction into other projects and ideas this also includes rebuilding the strained relationship with her mother who wanted nothing more than to see her happy. I did feel a little bit broken myself watching the film and seeing the battle of each day and how easily a relapse can occur. This actually made me cry, as I was so emotionally invested in the character and story.

Give Saoirse Ronan an Oscar already! This should easily earn her another nomination at the very least, she really is very good from start to finish and she takes us on the journey of Rona in such a special way. Then in support both Stephen Dillane and Saskia Reeves were very impressive.