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The Story Behind The Outrun

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The Story Behind The Outrun

As I delve into the compelling narrative of author Ruth Liptrot and her journey from addiction to literary success, I find myself awestruck by the profound resilience she exhibits. Her memoir, “The Outrun,” is not just a chronicle of her struggles with addiction but also a poetic ode to the beauty of Orkney’s landscape and its rich legends.

In many cases, an addiction drama doesn’t feel like a nature documentary, but from the very start, “The Outrun” appears to aspire to be confused with one.

Initially delving into the haunting underwater world of a solitary seal in the North Sea near the Orkney Islands, off the stormy Scottish coast, the movie The Outrun eventually showcases Saoirse Ronan’s mesmerizing performance as a former alcoholic. The area is steeped in legend, where it’s believed that seals are actually the souls of drowned humans transforming into seals for safety in the icy waters. In this remote and desolate part of the globe, such a magical metamorphosis seems almost plausible.

In this tranquil introduction, director Nora Fingscheidt skillfully adapts Amy Liptrot’s acclaimed memoir, maintaining its beautiful balance of sea life, mythology, and symbolism—a turbulent backdrop reflecting the harshness of a disease that often resembles relentless ocean waves pounding against rugged cliffs. With minimal deviations from the original narrative, the story revolves around Rona, a biology student who had thrived in London for seven years but finds her career aspirations and relationship with her partner shattered by her alcohol addiction, leading to chaotic nights out. Following three months of rehabilitation, the 29-year-old chooses to return home to Orkney, where her estranged parents reside, taking a position in nature conservation as she battles to maintain sobriety.

Perhaps, she believes, it could trigger a personal metamorphosis for her, paving the way for a fresh, unsoiled start in her life’s book.

In his film, Fingscheidt delves into both extremes of Rona’s life, whether she is drunk or sober, based on Liptrot’s personal accounts. Just as the stormy winds characterize the unstable life in Orkney, the movie oscillates between its timeline, juxtaposing her turbulent past with her present isolation. The film’s fragmented structure adds an element of intrigue to certain parts of her voyage, but primarily portrays the experience of relapsing and the duality of her recovery process.

In a recent conversation with TIME, Liptrot shares from her caravan on her father’s Orkney farm, “The healing process is somewhat like this,” she explains. “I managed to stay sober for 13-and-a-half years yesterday, and I must say it’s incredibly difficult to quit.

The Story Behind The Outrun

Initially, Liptrot penned “The Outrun” in 2011 as a means to further cope with her recovery from alcoholism. During her rehab stint, she shared personal blogs documenting some of her challenging experiences. Upon returning home to Orkney, she initiated a nature column detailing the intricacies of island life and farming within the natural environment. As she explains, “These two works merged into this book.” It was not just therapeutic, but creatively fulfilling for her. At long last, she was writing about sobriety, yet the very act of writing was aiding her in maintaining sobriety.

Following the release of her memoir in 2016, Liptrot received numerous proposals from filmmakers interested in acquiring the movie rights for her story of recovery. “I gave it a lot of thought: Was I ready to embark on this journey?” Liptrot recalls. “I remember taking a long walk and weighing my options.” She felt encouraged when producer Sarah Brocklehurst wrote a heartfelt letter about the book, suggesting adaptations and sharing movie references such as Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights and the Scottish film Movern Callar, to illustrate her vision. “Another important aspect was that she wanted me to be part of the creative process,” Liptrot adds.

Saoirse Ronan became involved with the project a few years after being introduced to the book by her husband, Jack Lowden (who also has a producing credit). However, it was only when director Marc Munden came aboard that Sally Potter started contributing creatively. Munden developed a script with a narrative structure similar to the book, and Potter, credited as a screenwriter, added what they referred to as the “expert perspective” – the film’s insightful, narrated observations about Orkney’s unique environment and ancient folklore. Ideas were exchanged between Los Angeles and Yorkshire, resulting in rearrangements of events and a focus on particular life experiences.

Liptrot expressed that the nerdy approach added depth to what could’ve been a simpler adaptation. During our discussions, she had a knack for highlighting unforeseen aspects from my comments, along with creative combinations of details from the source material, resulting in something fresh and innovative.

The memoir, structured around different topics, follows a general timeline but often deviates based on Liptrot’s spontaneous memories. She described it as exploring themes of beauty, sensation, and the sensation of cold water against warm skin in an article for The Guardian. At other times, she characterized it as focusing on birds and addiction, or as a reflection of her life phase when she returned to Orkney after leaving rehab in London. The intermingling of experiences led Liptrot and Fingscheidt to create a non-traditional screenplay that emphasizes its literary essence.

To facilitate the storytelling and introduce some creative freedom, they opted to call the movie’s main character Rona instead of using Liptrot’s name. However, certain aspects remained ambiguous, such as during filming on the actual caravan where her father resided, or when Rona established herself in the same rose cottage on Papa Westray, an isolated island near the Orkneys, where Liptrot penned her book. Apart from Rona being a biology student and a brief reenactment of events on Orkney, Liptrot notes that “almost every scene is based on something genuine that happened to me.

The Story Behind The Outrun

Prior to the start of filming, Liptrot and Ronan held a couple of Zoom discussions. During these conversations, the Academy Award-winning actress – taking on her first role portraying a living individual in her career – started questioning aspects of Liptrot’s time in a 12-step program and her experiences on the islands. As Liptrot explains, “I don’t believe she drew her main inspiration from me as an individual. She isn’t mimicking me. Instead, I think she was tapping into my writing style – that slightly elevated tone I have. My writing is what gets portrayed, rather than my normal, somewhat anxious self.

Though Liptrot concedes, there was at least one glaring similarity: “She’s got that little frown that you do,” her friend observed. 

Liptrot didn’t linger on set for extended periods, but she had unrestricted access to Fingscheidt’s scenes daily, which she observed being pieced together in the editing suite. This process was peculiar, akin to peering through a looking glass. As she clicked the link, her own recollections of events and how she penned them in her book were swiftly overpowered by this fresh, visual representation of those scenes. Watching her character become inebriated was particularly challenging, but Liptrot commends Fingscheidt for not hastily averting the camera from such moments. “Nora took some bold steps to let certain scenes unfold for quite a while and with considerable discomfort,” she says.

Ever since the film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Liptrot has been swamped by the reality of the movie and the growing anticipation surrounding Ronan’s potential award-winning performance. The very night before our conversation, she had just shared the movie with Orkney locals at an event reminiscent of a red carpet, where the entire island donned formal attire.

In my own words, as a movie reviewer, I’d say: “With immense pride, she expresses her gratitude for contributing a piece to the rich cultural quilt that is Orkney and its island legacy.

But unlike her recovery journey, she adds, “there’s no guidebook for this experience for me.”

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2024-10-04 17:08

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