Saoirse Ronan stars as an alcoholic woman in recovery in "The Outrun." Credit: StudioCanal Have you ever felt so alienated from your world that only the folklore of wild things could soothe you? In the opening of The Outrun,

The crashing of waves, the somber recrimination of chilly charcoal clouds: for the young woman at the center of this story, Rona—played, in a marvelously nuanced performance by Saoirse Ronan —these are both markers of time and reminders that sometimes it’s necessary to temporarily drop out of time,

Singular actor glows as a student returning to her childhood home, on a windswept island off Scotland, to protect her sobriety.

You can’t help but admire the ambitious approach director Nora Fingscheidt has taken in adapting “The Outrun,” the bestselling, prize-winning 2016 memoir by Amy Liptrot. Co-penning the screenplay with Liptrot,

An alcoholic (Saoirse Ronan) returns home to Scotland's Orkney Islands and achieves sobriety in nature's solitude.

The Outrun is meditative & often poetic, with a powerful, emotional performance by Saoirse Ronan. It's not without pitfalls, but it's a strong debut.