IMMERSIVE JOURNEY OF INNER HEALING
The outrun is an intensely immersive drama about a young woman's journey to inner healing from childhood trauma. The movie takes us through a dark tunnel of difficult themes of alcoholism, manic depression, guilt, sacrifice, spirituality, and betrayal all from the point of view of Rona - a London University biology graduate from Orkney.
The style of the movie is almost 'fly on the wall' documentary style and feels utterly authentic - not least because of the quality of the acting from the protagonist Saoire Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Mary Queen of Scots), her boyfriend Daynin played by Paapa Essiedu, and her mother, played by the wonderful Saskia Reeves and father by Stephen Dillane.
The production often puts us (often uncomfortably close) to Rona's harrowing experiences as she swings between elation, inebriation, total alcoholic oblivion, morning after guilt and regret, secret drinking, superficial commitments to sobriety and relapse. It's tough stuff to watch if you've been anywhere near the damaging affects of alcoholism, either personally through friends or family - and let's face it, most of us have. However, there are also touches of humanity and hope as Rona rediscovers her identity and purpose, by confronting her monsters, on her wild childhood island of Orkney.
There is an obvious striking contrast between the wide open cinematography of Orkney on the one hand and the darkly, claustrophobic clubs of London on the other. I love all the combination of creative cinematic techniques in this movie that really put us into Rona's head. We literally hear her techno music as she pulls her headphones on and of her head on the coastal walks, memories are presented in small boxed frames like childhood videos, inebriated chaotic sequences often have the sound stuttering (I particularly liked this effect) giving them a distorted, half remembered vibe... and many more.
If the measure of a good movie is how deeply it touches you and how much the story and characters stay with you after the movie has finished then I'd say this does that in spades. Despite it being a tough watch it has a refreshing honesty which makes the redemptive journey of the movie all the more worth while.
The style of the movie is almost 'fly on the wall' documentary style and feels utterly authentic - not least because of the quality of the acting from the protagonist Saoire Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Mary Queen of Scots), her boyfriend Daynin played by Paapa Essiedu, and her mother, played by the wonderful Saskia Reeves and father by Stephen Dillane.
The production often puts us (often uncomfortably close) to Rona's harrowing experiences as she swings between elation, inebriation, total alcoholic oblivion, morning after guilt and regret, secret drinking, superficial commitments to sobriety and relapse. It's tough stuff to watch if you've been anywhere near the damaging affects of alcoholism, either personally through friends or family - and let's face it, most of us have. However, there are also touches of humanity and hope as Rona rediscovers her identity and purpose, by confronting her monsters, on her wild childhood island of Orkney.
There is an obvious striking contrast between the wide open cinematography of Orkney on the one hand and the darkly, claustrophobic clubs of London on the other. I love all the combination of creative cinematic techniques in this movie that really put us into Rona's head. We literally hear her techno music as she pulls her headphones on and of her head on the coastal walks, memories are presented in small boxed frames like childhood videos, inebriated chaotic sequences often have the sound stuttering (I particularly liked this effect) giving them a distorted, half remembered vibe... and many more.
If the measure of a good movie is how deeply it touches you and how much the story and characters stay with you after the movie has finished then I'd say this does that in spades. Despite it being a tough watch it has a refreshing honesty which makes the redemptive journey of the movie all the more worth while.
- Always_Loved_A_Film
- 13 jul 2025