Always_Loved_A_Film

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.

I'm not a big fan of the Predator franchise - apart from the original movie - naturally. So I wasn't expecting much from this little gem. I didn't even know it was an animation until it started rolling but it instantly had me hooked. In this feature length cartoon the Predator becomes the nemesis of several warriors from different times and cultures throughout history. The violence is graphically over-the-top - which is why it's rated 18+ - but it is made much more interesting by the individual story lines and relationships between the characters which weaves the whole thing together. I found it surprisingly good and would say it's one of the best things to come out of the Predator series - perhaps even the second best of them all.

This 'based on true events' drama is a creative imagining of the 'sleezy' world of sex and power in the British government in the early nineteen sixties. It is well written, cast and acted with stellar performances from well known British actors such as James Norton, Ben Miles, Michael Maloney, Anton Lesser and Tim McInnerny.

"They decided to punish us and then decided on the crime" just about sums up the message of this powerful drama. It left me with a strong sense that, though we can blame individuals or institutions, in the end it's we, the public, who decide the fate of those we love to hate.

On reflection this drama does something rather clever. It puts us in the shoes of the teenage Christine Keeler and shows us how she saw Stephen as a trustworthy friend - in many ways, just as vulnerable as she was.

In fact this drama should have been called 'The Trial of Stephen Ward' - as this is by far the most dramatic part of the story. James Norton is fabulous as the bohemian doctor who is presented as an artistic innocent who 'could not hate anyone'. At first I found him creepy and annoying (please don't say 'little baby' again!) - but he grew on me as a free spirit who is authentic in his friendships - helping me understand how the young Christine could fall for him and trust him.

We like clear cut lines on who we should be rooting for. But in this historical social drama the boundaries are blurred - just like in real life. However - we have to remind ourselves that all Stephen's friends are either young girls or powerful men... and we can't ignore that he was - whether he (or she) knew it or not - grooming them...

It's a great thought provoking and disturbing production and I thoroughly recommend it.