The Outrun: Bleakness and Beauty Blend to Powerful Effect
The Outrun is set across London, the Orkney Islands and Papa Westray. It follows a superb Saoirse Ronan as Rona, a young woman and ex-alcoholic through her battle to quit drinking.
The narrative switches between Rona's idyllic Orkney Island farm-based childhood and life away from home in London. In London, she studied biology, which we learn through flashbacks. The present-day currently sees Rona back in Orkney. In Orkney, she faces quietness, her divorced parents living apart and the urge to drink. Which, as Ronan solemnly narrates, comes out of nowhere. Unexpected and catapulting Rona up to the highs of being giddily tipsy, yet desperately dependent upon alcohol. Then, she is dumped roughly back down to solemn, sombre, sobriety.
In London, Rona’s alcoholism stalks her like an omnipresent shadow before, inevitably, emerging. The Outrun unashamedly tackles the effect on Rona and, especially, her relationships. Her partner, Daynin (Paapa Essiedu) bears the brunt, physically and emotionally, when she inadvertently hurts them both, oblivious to the cruel and deranged persona that alcoholism has put her into.
Essiedu, emotionally excelling, perfectly portrays a loved one's exhaustion, utterly drained by fruitless, helpless caring. Eventually, Daynin solemnly leaves while Rona’s friend Julie (Lauren Lyle) also distances herself.
Back on the Orkney islands, Rona fearlessly lambs sheep, hops fences, and contemplates the stunning cliffside views... All with a hearty rock soundtrack thumping through her headphones.
The Outrun subtly draws us to the healing potential within nature. Indeed, Rona finds more solace there than she does elsewhere... Alienated by her mum’s (Saskia Reeves) new-found religion and disoriented by her father’s (Stephen Dillane) bipolar disorder, Rona is instead most at ease sweeping through the farmyard fields.
Rona’s hair is constantly changing, too. Switching from beach blonde, punky pink, light-tinted blue and auburn orange throughout the film. The symbolism of her appearance, the care she takes in it and how she looks after herself represents the deep, dark depths that addiction can sink talented, smart people into.
Unable to care about how they present to the world, her head (a noticeable feature of anyone’s appearance) gives us an unspoken, yet visible, insight into Rona’s mental state. Our hair is a fundamental part of how we look. Most onlookers can tell when care has been taken with a person's hair. As revealingly are the signs that hair hasn't been cared for.
Greasy, clusters of uncombed, spiralling webs. Hair, when we change it, is also immediately and strikingly noticeable. Different lengths, different colours, different braiding. Rona's rarely stays the same throughout the film. Her wonderfully versatile hair reflects her quest for stability.
Especially when we are striving to fit in somewhere, the look good, feel good mantra applies even more.
Nature becomes increasingly prevalent as Rona takes up RSPCA work - straining to hear the incredibly rare call of a Corn Crake bird. Purposefully, she heads north to Papa Westray.
Remote, stormy, and community-central. Rona finds more and more joy in this environment. Snuggled in blankets beside roaring fires and finding welcome comradeship with both the island and its inhabitants. Both seal and human.
Simultaneously, we see her ongoing struggle with alcoholism. Speaking in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, she openly admits to missing how good alcohol made her feel, the escapism, empowerment and delirious happiness it could bring.
Bonding with Samir (Nabil Elouahabi), Ronan expertly demonstrates how painstaking the starting-again process is for any ex-addict... Weaning themselves, not only clean but back into a divided, judgemental society.
For some, The Outrun will prove cathartic, even on a seemingly insignificant scale. It is, undoubtedly, identifiable. Heart-warmingly human, beautifully shot, unflinchingly cruel. It encourages tenderness between humans, animals and nature. The Outrun is a resounding success.
