Last Updated on October 4, 2024 by
The Outrun is a 2024 Drama Movie Directed by Nora Fingscheidt. The film stars Stephen Dillane, Saoirse Ronan, and Saskia Reeves, with a runtime of 1h 58M, and will be released on October 04, 2024.
In 2016, Amy Liptrot who is an accomplished writer wrote The Outurn which is a moving memoir recounting her battles with Alcoholism. This book was made into a movie wherein Liptrot co-wrote its script; this is a breakthrough not only for the movie but also for Saoirse Ronan and her husband Jack Lowden’s first movie production. In the movie, Ronan stars as the protagonist who also goes by the name Rona but is based on Liptrot with slight differences in personal history.
Rona, as in the case of Liptrot, hails from the Orkney Islands – a cluster of barren, wind-swept islands off the coast of mainland Scotland. Rona was a farm girl of English descent and was raised to be adventurous and explore the Island’s beaches and cliffs. As time passed, she struggled to find a better life for herself and devolved into a life of crime. She went to London and gave up on the aspects that one would associate with a healthy lifestyle, losing her passion for nature, and wildlife, and instead embracing the solitary life in the big city and developing dependency on alcohol.
While in the movie Rona was depicted as a research microbiologist, Liptrot, in her own life, had odd jobs like cleaning toilets for oil-rig workers back in Orkney and temping in London. Still, the plot of Rona’s story echoes Amy’s real-life battles with alcoholism. Rona loses her job, and her family and friends stay away from her, leading to a life of bitterness.
In farming, an “outrun” is a piece of land that is nomadic and can only be used for grazing during one part of the year. This term is a part of Rona’s life which although is as vital as the land, gets abused, and requires attention. Consequently, as her drinking progresses, Rona loses touch with her core identity and disconnects from the environment. She is left without her loyal boyfriend, Daynin, played by Paapa Essiedu, even though he tries to assist her. Despite her presence in AA meetings, the reader sees that Rona is more willing to self-destruct push Daynin away, and alienate those who genuinely want to help her.
Finally, Rona wakes up to the fact that change is inevitable and sets off to the island which is one of the most isolated in the Orkney group, namely Papay. She then finds a job with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), where she writes a report on the birds in the region. In the novel, Rona focuses on searching for the corncrake, a bird with a rattle-like call, which symbolizes a person with whom she struggles to understand herself. Likewise, the slim prospect of the corncrake’s survival throughout its long journey to Africa also symbolizes Rona’s troublesome journey to recovery.
The storyline of the film recreates Rona’s chaotic and confused mindset by employing scenes from her past, describing her reckless spending sprees, passionate interactions with Daynin, and episodes of isolation and drug dependency. These mechanisms include the flashbacks of Rona becoming an alcoholic and the depiction of her relationship with separated parents. Her father (Stephen Dillane) has bipolar disorder, and Rona remembers her father as a man who can burst with energy one moment and fall into a heavy, black despair the next. Her mother (Sasha Reeves) is a religious woman who leads prayer institutes in their small, modest home and Rona finds herself struggling to reconcile both parental figures as she tries to comprehend her feelings.
As has been observed, the visuals are essential in presenting Rona’s narrative in the movie. The style of hair coloring is constantly changing but always in different shades of red, which reflects the stage Rona has in her life. For example, her hair becomes bright blue and pink when she is dancing and often drinking alcohol. It becomes a sun-bleached wild look when she goes to the island and tries to distance herself from her tortured past. Last of all, when Rona is in the process of getting better, her hair grows back to a rusty bronze colour, which demonstrates her rebuilding of strength and hope.
Rona, played by Saoirse Ronan, is internal, intense, and visceral. She fully commits to the character, making the audience feel the taxing physical and emotional journey of Rona. Whether Rona is drunk and walking barefoot in the streets of London after a reckless session of drinking or swimming in the frigid water of Orkney’s beaches during her struggle of healing, Ronan does not shy away from portraying the rawness of the experiences. For instance, the portrayal of Rona evolving into an awakened woman with a will to start a new life is inspiring.
The film also incorporates various folklore and legends associated with Orkney thus giving the film a magical theme. Of all the myths presented in the film, the most well-known would be the Silly – seal folk from the Orkney Islands who can transform into people on the land. Rona identifies with the Silkies, especially when she notices one from the shore whose head and big eyes are only slightly above water level. This connection is symbolic of Rona’s journey, as she undergoes a metamorphosis from being a depressed soul to a woman with renewed hope.
The characters in the supporting roles provide richness to the story. The role of Rona’s father played by Stephen Dillane is realistic as he alternates between happy delights and depressive episodes. In the role of Rona’s mother, Sasha Reeves embodies the torment of a mother who witnessed her child’s suffering. Paapa Essiedu, who plays Daynin, is notably emotional in one scene where he comes to pick up Rona from the police cell after a night of binge drinking. When Rona proposes that maybe, after the shift, they should go and have a drink Allan looks sad and disgusted implying that her addiction is affecting their relationship.
However, despite the grimness and suffering, The Outrun is a tale of survival and redemption. Rona’s path from rock bottom to a place of acceptance and self-love is arduous, but its message of agency is essential. Although the film is quite realistic in portraying the effects of addiction, it also depicts the process of overcoming addiction, thus suggesting to viewers that it is possible to help even somebody who appears to be utterly lost, like Rona. The last scene of the movie shows Rona on the shore, listening to waves and not needing to drown herself in alcohol and other distractions anymore. This is a well-deserved and beautifully earned moment of respite for both Rona and the viewer.
The Outrun is a beautifully shot and moving drama that presents a layered narrative of addiction and redemption. It embodies the essence of Rona’s suffering and the process of her finding herself on the way to recovery; therefore, it is certainly worth watching for anyone who has ever been lost and broken.
The Outrun 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
The Outrun is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) R for language and brief sexuality.
The Outrun MOVIE PLOT FULL SUMMARY and parents’ guide will be updated closer to the release date (October 04, 2024.), so check back
