The Outrun

The movie tells an admirable and moving story about a woman coming through her troubles, but it conveys no sense of creative or emotional risk.

It’s not always easy to watch, and it’s certainly not a lot of fun. But it is impressive, and that’s what carries it.

"The Outrun" is [Ronan's] symphony, and she conducts it with an unwaveringly steady hand, right down to the very last note.

Ronan can’t save The Outrun from its limitations as a drama, or from its worst stack-the-deck instincts. But she does lift this film up and infuse the storytelling with a genuine sense of what it means to try living one day at a time.

The drama forces the audience to see the ugliness of addiction, even when coiled in the body of a beautiful, intelligent young woman. Rona’s one-day-at-a-time battle against drink is gladiatorial, as is Ronan’s performance.

Saoirse Ronan knows how to do more than hold her own against the Orkney archipelago’s breathtaking, windswept remoteness.

The cinematography is at times breathtaking. Nora Fingscheidt does a great job of putting the audience in Rona’s headspace. Saoirse Ronan is sensational as she battles her inner demons. Authentic.

The flights of fancy and Rona’s insightful voiceover musings guide viewers through an immersive, mesmerizing experience.

Told through a series of flashbacks, the film aims to evoke Rona’s fractured emotional state, but never settles on a rhythm.

As always, Saoirse Ronan gives an incredible and powerful performance.