The Outrun review – Saoirse Ronan impresses in refreshingly unconventional recovery drama | Drama films

FThe stories of addiction and recovery tend to follow a well-trodden linear trajectory: the spiraling self-destruction and sickening descent to the bottom are followed by the arduous, piecemeal rebuilding of a life and a self. That might be the reason The outletwith its angular, fractured structure, extended poetic longueurs and preoccupation with birdwatching, feels like a refreshingly unconventional twist on a familiar theme.

Starring an impressive Saoirse Ronan in the central role of an alcoholic finding her way to recovery in the isolated wilderness of Orkney, and directed by German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt (best known for System crashera brilliant, abrasive portrait of a troubled nine-year-old), the film has been adapted, with the author’s collaboration, from the addiction memoirs of Amy Liptrot. A film that is as much about learning to be present in the moment as it is about healing. The outletsometimes relies a little heavily on images of Ronan trudging through empty fields. But the intelligence and craft of the filmmaking, the way Fingscheidt guides us on the main character’s emotional journey, is captivating.

The film’s use of color is particularly effective: early in the film, when Amy has returned to her family home in Orkney to dry out, the memories of her life in London seem vivid and attractive, imbued with color and joy. like alcohol. Orkney, meanwhile, is shot in unpromising tones of moss green and subdued grays. The film’s slow unveiling of the islands’ beauty is its secret weapon, as powerful as its immersive, enveloping use of sound.