Last night we watched The Outrun, which is based on a memoir of the same name. The main character Rona is an alcoholic who was living in London but returns to the Orkney Islands, which are just north of the Scottish mainland.

This is cinematically a gorgeous film. Scotland is a stunning country, and the Orkney islands look amazing. Austin and I both talked about how we could see ourselves living somewhere remote at least some of the year, though I’m guessing that’s a problem for the remote areas (folks who come in and leave as they desire, instead of staying and really digging in with the community).

Saoirse Ronan plays the main character and does a fantastic job. The film skips back and forth (mostly just across one year, though we do get glimpses of her childhood). It explores what addiction does to relationships, but also looks at what it does to the person who is addicted. It explores religion, mental health, and community.

It’s hard to watch at times, and I probably won’t watch it again, but I think it was worth watching for sure.