THE OUTRUN (in theatres)

We have been doused/soused with a plethora of movies dealing with the vicissitudes of alcoholic women: “Days of Wine and Roses”: “Woman Under the Influence”, “When a Man Loves a Woman”, “28 Days”, “To Leslie” but we’ve never come across “Rona” a blue-haired, twenty-nine-year-old harridan, whose demonic side is birthed in every inebriated phase; Saorise Ronan, also a producer tackles and scores in Amy Liptrot’s memoir; vulnerability soaks her every frightening moment; alcohol defines her, she can “never be happy when sober”, her manic moments are electrifying, as they plummet into “morning after” depression; the doom, gloom of recovery weighs incomprehensibly on her psyche; Ronan gifts the role a genius, untouchable.

Director Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation is blazingly intelligent; Rona, a biology enthusiast intertwines nature, myth and landscape in her recovery; the Orkney Islands off the Scottish coast offer a blistery, solitary sanctuary; the soundtrack (Jan Miserre, John Gurtler) brilliantly enhances Rona’s Sisyphean struggle into a sober, unknown world; poignancy of trials, recurrency, blazingly highlight the arduous, back-breaking Olympian feat required to meet the desired complacency, contentment of sobriety.

Mythical, magical cinematography adds lyricism, poetry to the scenario; “selkis”, beautiful seals, shed their skins and dance on the beaches in their human form; if skins were stolen, they were forced to remain human; Rona with pain and clarity struggles to outrun her addition, doffing her blitzed persona; with remarkability the universe becomes her orchestra, and she conducts with mastery and munificence.

FOUR STARS!!!!

Peneflix