Berlinale 2024: “The Outrun”, Saoirse Ronan, myth and abandonment

In front of German director Nora Fingscheidt’s camera, Saoirse Ronan must face an addiction that haunts her. A sudden sensation, but incredibly tender.

At the age of 29 and after a master’s degree in biology in London, Rona (Saoirse Ronan) has withdrawn into nightlife and alcohol. An addiction that has cost her dearly and she now wants to kick it. So after a decade’s absence, she’s back on her parents’ farm here on the Orkney Islands. However, returning home will not be easy.

A favorite across the Atlantic during its run at Sundance, “The Outrun” is now taking the spotlight at Berlinale for its major European premiere. Adapted from the journalist’s eponymous memoir Amy Liptrot and under control Saoirse Ronan (who also works as a producer), German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt There was a big project. After the excitement caused by “Benny,” and his time on Netflix In “The Unforgivable,” Sandra Bullock*, the director, once again walks next to the volcano character. And the bet, as risky as it was, was successful.

Legend has it that the Orkney archipelago is the tip of a world-sized dragon’s tail. Borrowing from the folklore of the region that overlooks Iceland, “The Outrun” takes the form of an intimate and mysterious story. Carried out by a river of (and violent) scores Saoirse Ronan, the staging reflects his painful inner mutterings. Make no mistake, the beauty of the images is sometimes deceptive, “The Outrun” remains a gritty film in which Rona confronts discussion groups and the painful countdown of her days of abstinence.

At the heart of this redemptive epic, Nora Fingscheidt Marks a rock achievement in approaching the subject of alcoholism and psychological injuries and their intergenerational transmission. Imbued with magical realism, the feature film also takes on a meditative and contemplative form, as if to soothe its protagonist’s restless downfall. Emptiness, loneliness and the vagaries of his parents are faced. Saoirse Ronan Poetic, organic, even ornithological. And despite the special features of the memory adaptation, “The Outrun” grabbed us.

4/5 ★

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