The Outrun

A quietly powerful drama of addiction and recovery, The Outrun finds a fresh setting to explore familiar themes.

Generating hard-earned empathy through catharsis, thanks in large part to a fully committed portrayal by the versatile Saiorse Ronan, this introspective character study achieves a gentle poignancy while avoiding heavy-handed sentimentality.

This immersive saga sets its dark personal journey of redemption against the quaint, picturesque scenery of Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands.

That’s where Rona (Ronan) returns after a turbulent decade in London during which, as we learn through flashbacks, she became a bar-hopping alcoholic, suffered a breakup from her committed boyfriend (Paapa Essiedu), and spent time in rehab.

She arrives home lonely and broken with turquoise hair and a red-hot temper, needing a fresh start even if she doesn’t realize or won’t admit it. “I’ve got a life I need to get back to,” she explains to her deeply religious mother (Saskia Reeves).

Alongside the calming influences of the coastal winds and waters, Rona is forced to confront elements from her past that might have contributed to her downward spiral, such as a rocky relationship with her bipolar father (Stephen Dillane), whose family farm has fallen into disarray.

Even as she struggles with her demons, Rona finds a renewed purpose and passion after taking a job with a bird preservation society dedicated specifically to charting the dwindling numbers for an endangered species whose fragility in many ways matches her own.

German director Nora Fingscheidt (The Unforgivable) vividly captures the striking contrasts between the chaos of London and the chilly serenity of the islands.

Ronan (Atonement) delicately balances Rona’s obstinance and insecurity, communicating her realization and regret as much through body language and facial expressions as through verbal dialogue. Hers is a psychological journey more than a physical one.

Through Rona’s eyes, the nonlinear screenplay by Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot — upon whose memoir the film is based — offers a heartfelt examination of the psychology of alcoholism, even if it’s not especially insightful or profound in that regard.

Although its emphasis on atmosphere over mood sometimes inhibits the narrative momentum, The Outrun mostly sidesteps cliches and contrivances, leaving us with a muted glimmer of hope.

Rated R, 118 minutes.