Opening up this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival is the appropriately Scottish-set adaptation of Amy Liptrot's 2016 memoir The Outrun. After losing her house, her job and her partner, a young woman returns home to the Orkney Islands to find her feet again after years of battling alcoholism. Given EIFF's struggles over the past few years, and their current attempts to find their footing and rebuild, The Outrun seems like the perfect film to begin this latest chapter in the story of the iconic festival. Can the film kick things off with a bang and a glimmer of hope or will it mark a disappointing opening for the institution?
A lot can be told from the first scene of a film. Those first few minutes give us a glimpse into what is to come. In the case of The Outrun, things open up with Rona (Saoirse Ronan) ending her night at a local pub. Refusing to leave, drinking up the remnants of forgotten pints and dancing on the bar, Ronan's performance comes across as silly at first. To the point that Ronan's portrayal of this character comes across as trivial. Not shallow, by any means, but lacking sincerity. Yet, once a security guard asks her to leave and Rona becomes violent, we see something much darker in this character and her story. Something much more emotionally resonating for the audience too. The rest of the film only replicates this opening. Not literally, of course, but in tone and execution. Consequently, the rest of the runtime provides us with glimmers of greatness but instead fills itself with a depiction of alcoholism that leaves a lot to be desired.
Saoirse Ronan is a fine actress, one of the greatest working today. Just look at her performances in films like Lady Bird or Little Women for proof of that. Yet, her decisions seem aloof here. Never quite encompassing the character that we need to see on screen, keeping the audience at a distance with some questionable acting choices.
Though, it can be difficult to put the blame entirely on Ronan. The screenplay, written by Liptrot and director Nora Fingscheidt, comes across as underdeveloped and rather basic in its portrayal of addiction. Combine the most stereotypical representations you have ever seen of alcoholics and addicts, put them together, and that is about what you'd find in the screenplay for this movie. Expect melodramatic, broken relationships filled with lines like “I don't even recognise you anymore” or “I hate you.” Nothing we haven't seen before.
It is actually in the smaller characters of the story that we find ourselves engaging with. Rona's mum (Saskia Reeves), a member of her Alcoholics Anonymous group (Nabil Elouahabi) and even a local shopkeeper who we later find out is twelve years sober. Each of them dealing with their own individual struggles and each is much more restrained and relatable in the way their stories are told and acted.
It is smaller moments like these that stand out in this picture. Not the melodramatic arguments or stereotypical portrayals, but instead the smaller moments which tell us a lot about these people and their lives without screaming it in our faces. These smaller moments provide us with wonderful moments that make it clear that Ronan and Fingscheidt have a lot to offer this story as the star and the director. A particular standout is a quiet walk at night which transitions into a loud, drunken night out which is then revealed to be one of the most traumatic moments of Rona's life. It is well crafted, well executed and a reminder of what The Outrun could have been, rather than what it has ended up as.
Just like an addict has the ability to change, and even shows the desire to, they can unfortunately fall victim to their worst traits. A similar story can be told of The Outrun. If you have experienced addiction in any form then you'll know that these stories are important and deserve to be told. That includes this story. It is not perfectly told but that is not to say that it has nothing to offer.
There is a moment during the film in which the leader of Rona's AA group says “only ten of you will make it through this”, announcing the unforgiving hardships that face anyone on this journey. Unfortunately, The Outrun does not make it.
The Outrun had its UK Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024
