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| Source: Sony Pictures Classics |
Carried by a tour-de-force Saoirse Ronan performance, The Outrun’s heartbreaking alcoholism narrative gives light to a tragic societal issue, but struggles under the weight of immense stylistic elements.
Playing both sides of a flawed character, Saoirse Ronan excels in her portrayal of Nora, a dysfunctioning alcoholic who struggles to stay afloat in society. There’s so much raw heartbreak, enthusiasm, and instability in Ronan’s performance that it’s hard not to view it through a realistic lens, as some people genuinely behave this way in society. She also manages to get feelings of vulnerability, self-loathing, and eccentricness across in ways that are unparalleled to anything else I’ve seen this year. Her monologues, which range from talking about the isles of Scotland to seaweed, are delivered with nuance and manage to feel genuine in nature, despite being about seemingly random topics.
Based on a 2016 memoir of the same name by Amy Liptrot, there are times in this film where it, like Nora, is unsure of what it wants to be. At times it plays like a straight drama, while it acts as a character study at other moments. The ending, for instance, is very atypical for this type of production and screams “adaptation” in how abrupt and sudden it is. These odd shifts in tone and mood likely come from the erratic nature of our lead, but these make it harder to get immersed in her personal journey. The non-linear fashion of its storytelling caught me off-guard for a while, as it became impossible for me to keep track of events and arrange them sequentially. Despite the lush immensity of the Scottish Isles, the lighting and camerawork are more experimental than grounded, causing a rough contrast between the strobe lights of clubbing versus the calm serenity of a waterside retreat. While I am usually a fan of style, it ultimately detracts away from how effective the alcoholism awareness messaging is and causes it to be less impactful than intended.
Overall, Saoirse Ronan’s phenomenal lead performance saves the allegories about alcoholism in The Outrun from being too abstract, as confusing storytelling makes it more of a fragmented tale than an emotional rollercoaster.
My Rating: 6/10 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
Now playing in theaters!
A SONY PICTURES CLASSICS RELEASE
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