What’s it About
In her late twenties, Rona (Ronan) is a recovering alcoholic, forced to leave London after her fed-up boyfriend Daynin (Essiedu) finally leaves her. Hitting bottom, she returns to her birthplace, the remote Orkney Islands off Scotland. There she re-engages with her long-separated parents: born-again mother Annie (Reeves) and bi-polar dad Andrew (Dillane), who lives in a trailer. Rona tries to adjust, dutifully attending AA meetings. But does her challenging new situation offer a path to sustained recovery?
Why we love it
This bleak, harrowing drama rests on the slender shoulders of Ronan, who is mind-blowingly good as Rona. Beyond portraying the ravages of rampant alcoholism via flashbacks, her present-day Rona is like a frail bird- watchful, vulnerable, just barely holding it together. Coming home is hardly ideal, but it’s her only choice. Reeves and Dillane are particularly memorable as her parents, each in their way as wounded as their daughter. Director Fingscheidt romances the harsh yet starkly beautiful Orkney vistas as she tracks Rona’s bumpy voyage of discovery. “The Outrun” is no walk in the park, but still a walk well worth taking.