Netflix has just added the Saoirse Ronan-starring The Outrun, one of 2024’s best-reviewed drama films.
Based on the 2016 memoir of the same name by Amy Liptrot, the movie is told in non-linear order and follows a young woman from Scotland named Rona (played by Ronan) and her experiences with and her recovery from alcoholism.
The plot synopsis reads: “Rona, fresh out of rehab, returns to the wild Orkney Islands after more than a decade away.
“As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her childhood merge with the more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery.”
Holding an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Outrun has earned praise for its authentic depiction of addiction, its lyrical direction by Nora Fingscheidt (The Unforgivable) and Ronan’s powerful central turn – for which she recently won an IFTA Best Actress Award.
You can read a sample of the glowing write-ups for the film below:
Associated Press: “At some point during The Outrun, it occurred to me that watching Saoirse Ronan act is a bit like looking into a magnifying glass: Everything somehow feels a bit clearer, sharper, more precise.”
Austin Chronicle: “Ronan, and her empathic director, catch without words the sensation of when someone who has been buried under unfathomable pain and grief and trauma discovers they still have the capacity for joy.”
Chicago Tribune: “Saoirse Ronan does subtly spectacular work in every phase of this character’s odyssey.”
Financial Times: “An inspired surprise: a portrait of addiction and recovery both visceral and lyrical, reflective and electric.”
The Guardian: “In every shot and every scene, mostly in closeup, Ronan carries the film with her unselfconsciously fierce and focused presence. Out-of-control-drunk acting in montage is a difficult thing to bring off, but she does it with intelligence and plausibility.”
Total Film: “An exceptional performance from Saoirse Ronan powers this affecting, slow-moving drama about addiction and hope.”
The Outrun is streaming on Netflix now in Ireland and the UK.
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