THE OUTRUN

A film adaptation of Amy Liptrot's novel, featuring a moving, BAFTA-nominated performance by Saoirse Ronan as Rona, who returns from rehab. Her journey back to her homeland also becomes a journey into herself. The harsh nature and gusty winds of the Orkney archipelago are equal protagonists in this Sundance hit.

North of the Scottish coast, on the border between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, lie the Orkney Islands. Although the archipelago consists of 67 islands, only 20 of them are inhabited by humans.

We return here to our homeland with Rona (Saoirse Ronan, who is also the film's co-producer). She has spent the last decade in London, where her everyday life was balancing on the carefree border between life and trash. Here, in contrast to the harsh nature, the force of the wind, the smell of the ruthless sea, the dampness and the omnipresent cold, the biggest battle turns out to be not only loneliness, but also the struggle to remain sober. 

After completing rehab, Rona's return to the wild islands is a confrontation with her past and childhood, while also dealing with complicated relationships with her mother and father. Above all, the Orkney Islands become a place where she will seek peace of mind, staying in a small house in the middle of nowhere, where she must face the company of only herself. 

Director Nora Fingscheidt (SYSTEM CRASHER–2019) takes us to the harsh Scottish moorlands, where, skilfully referring to Nordic symbolism and mythology, she creates an image of a young woman struggling to regain her identity.

In a film where the harshness of nature coincides with an individual healing process, you will see the most beautiful scene in the history of cinema, in which a man tries to control the ocean. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. It was later screened at the Berlinale and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and a year ago, it was included in the First Things First section at the first edition of the British Film Festival.

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Text: Dorota Reksińska