The Outrun: Review and Summary

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Film Length	1 Hour 58 Minutes
Advisory Rating	Rated R
Release Date	October 3, 2024
Initially Available On/Via	Theatrically
Genre(s)	Drama
Distributor	Sony Pictures Classic
Director	Nora Fingscheidt
Writer	Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot
Based On Work By	Amy Liptrot
Character Name	Actor
Rona	Saoirse Ronan

Plot Summary

29 year old Rona is a alcoholic. She doesn’t find herself hitting rock bottom until her former boyfriend, Daynin, leaves her, and she gets assaulted. With that, she returns home, to a remote part of Scotland, the rural farm area, and there she works on her sobriety, her relationship with her parents, and figuring out her next move far away from London.

Audience

“The Outrun” is the type of film that is artsy in a way that makes it clearly for a niche audience. The kind who, when nominations for major accolades come out, they enjoy seeing everything nominated so they can have an opinion. But, speaking specifically on “The Outrun,” it is a movie that can feel dry at times, then flip to Rona’s partying days, and go back to you feeling like not much is happening. So as long as you can handle a drama, which occasionally turns things up with drunk and disorderly behaviour, you may enjoy this.

Where To Watch This:

Other Noteworthy Information

• Movie Contains: Cursing, Violence Against Animals, Gore, Blood, Nudity, Sexual Situations (Implied), Criminal Acts, Depiction of Corpses, Drinking, Vomiting, Smoking

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

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Highlights

Saorise Ronan Keeps You On The Hook Enough To Keep From Leaving

As noted below and above, “The Outrun” doesn’t really present anything to make you think this will be a box office hit that is lauded by the masses. It is very much a drama that seems like it gets traction while on the film festival circuit, has a moderate pop in limited release, and then disappears until it eventually ends up on a streaming service. Which, even then, unless you are a fan of someone involved, or enjoy marathoning movies nominated for major accolades, you probably wouldn’t come across this.

Negative comments aside, while the film holds very little to make this a easy thing to recommend, at the very least, Ronan as Rona is able to hold your attention. Mind you, more so when she is spiraling and is a drunkard than when in recovery, but watching Rona struggle with her sobriety, handling her mother’s faith, and father being bipolar does give Ronan the chance to keep you from checking your phone too much.

Mind you, at nearly two hours, you will still find yourself wondering how much time is left after the first hour, but Ronan does hold enough charm and star power to keep you from walking out.

On The Fence

Time Jumping

Unfortunately, “The Outrun” isn’t consistent or linear in its storytelling. Throughout the film it will jump from pre-sobriety to post-sobriety Rona, and while the post-sobriety Rona has a more linear story, when it comes to pre-sobriety, it is all over the place. To make matters worse, while the future Rona has a sobriety day ticker, similar to what was seen in “Single Drunk Female,” that is only shown maybe 3 or 4 times? Due to that, you have to rely on context clues you hope are right to let you know where in Rona’s story we are and to get a grasp on how far ahead things have jumped.

It Drags

While many likely love artsy films, with poetic monologues as the actor overlooks a scenic landscape, I find them to be a bit of a struggle. It gives period piece and as much as we love Ronan as an actor, I need her engaged with another character, not overlooking the sea, comparing her body and its functions to the way the world works.

Don’t get me wrong, it could have worked or have been better, but it makes Rona’s sober section feel like such a drag, especially as she isolates herself from nearly everyone she knows, and has nothing to play off of, and gives us nowhere near enough to not make you fidgety in your chair.

Lack Of Investment In Supporting Characters

In the film, we do meet Rona’s parents, some nameless friends, and her boyfriend. However, none of them are written to be on Ronan’s level and that causes major issues. Because they lack development, they don’t get to be more than a handful of adjectives. Her father is a farmer, bipolar, and likely an alcoholic. But, as for being a fully fleshed out person? I would never say that.

Rona’s mother is very religious, particularly after experiencing a few of Rona’s dad’s manic episodes and their relationship falling apart. Yet, even though, in a drunken state, Rona lashes out at her mother, there isn’t enough there to get invested in that relationship. Heck, even with her boyfriend, a lack of chemistry combined with bare-bones development leaves you with the sad case of two attractive actors paired together and coming off bland on screen.

Thus adding onto why “The Outrun” will likely be a hard watch for anyone who isn’t invested in one of the creatives behind this.

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