The battle for sobriety and against addiction can feel physically and emotionally isolating. The new movie from Sony Pictures Classics, The Outrun shows just some of the extremes of the recovery process and the extreme range of emotions that go along with the journey. coming in at just under two hours, the movie feels like a long process to get through at times as well. Some moments will make the audience uncomfortable, but maybe that is the point.
The movie follows Rona, a young woman who’s battling alcoholism and her journey to sobriety. Based on the bestselling memoir by Amy Liptrot, The Outrun shows not only the struggles she faces to stay sober but a lot of the other demons she’s facing. While she’s trying to get her life back on track, Rona faces rough moments from her childhood, her overzealous religious mother, and her relationship that was destroyed by her addiction.
Returning to the Orkney Islands of Scotland where she grew up, Rona has to face her own trauma to heal. The isolating location could set her over the edge or could finally put her in the right direction toward finding what could actually make her happy and how to stay sober.
The Outrun won’t be a movie for everyone. There are moments of raw emotion, some violence, and other parts that seem to drag on. But through all of that is a story of endurance and a woman fighting through addiction. While not all audience members may be able to relate to working through addiction and recovery, the fight and setbacks are raw and relatable in other parts of life. The movie’s location seems to parallel Rona’s need for escape and her isolation in her growing and healing through her recovery journey.
The Outrun is now playing in select theaters.
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About The Outrun
After living on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands – where she grew up – hoping to heal. Adapted from the bestselling memoir by Amy Liptrot.
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Saskia Reeves, Stephen Dillane
Written and Directed by Nora Fingscheidt
(Sony Pictures Classics)
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