The Outrun, from director Nora Fingscheidt, is as prolific a look at the effects of substance abuse and subsequent recovery, as it is a highly melancholic film. Based on Amy Liptrot’s (Liptrot co-wrote the story with Fingscheidt and Daisy Lewis, and the screenplay with Fingscheidt) own experiences, Rona (Saoirse Ronan) returns home to the Orkney Islands to recover from her wild ambitions.

It would be obvious to say that Fingscheidt has a strong instinct for character; the story is based on Liptrot’s memoirs. More central than instinct is Ronan’s ( ability to drive as much emotion out of the character to keep Rona grounded within her confusing reality. The Outrun is a team effort between the director and actress.

Rona is exceptionally opinionated, stubborn, highly intelligent, and an attention seeker. This would fall in line with the way most people think today, however, Rona also does this as lubricated as she can get, a trait she picked up from her father, Andrew (Stephen Dillane). Rona genuinely cares about her father and ignores her mother, Annie (Saskia Reeves), a devout woman who has endured the worst of what humanity can throw at someone. Fingscheidt plays into these character strengths to define each character, each from Rona’s perspective.

It also leaves The Outrun in a bit of a lurch, as Rona progresses through the year in which her experiences are chronicled. Fingscheidt seemed more interested in layering on the constant self-betrayal experienced by Rona as she tries several times to find employment, let alone recovery; or fails in love, romantically or interpersonally. There are several moments toward the end of the film where Fingscheidt continues to draw the audience into Rona’s sphere while trying to build a cresting wave, similar to the waves generated by the gale force winds that hammer the Orkney Islands.

Fueling the emotional wave’s fugue is a strong image, courtesy of cinematographer, Yunus Roy Imer. Sunlight is not something common to the Scottish Isles, so a good portion of The Outrun is either occluded or obscured in bright, flashing lights. Imer’s cinematography accurately conveys Rona’s emotional state as she bounces between her various states of struggling sobriety, the demons of recovery, or the focus of her limited affection. Aside from Ronan’s performance, the visual medium is served exceptionally well through Imer’s eye.

Of course, those waves and winds would not relent enough for the audience to take a breather if it happened in real life. Stephan Bechinger’s frenetic editing is in keeping with Fingscheidt’s direction and the story. However, by the end of the film, the feeling leaves you so overwhelmed that Rona’s final experience feels unsatisfying.

The Outrun earns high marks for haunting Ronan’s performance and Imer’s cinematography. The unrelenting onslaught of each situation outruns the story, leaving the viewer overwhelmed and unsatisfied.