Saoirse Ronan Enters the Oscar Race as ‘The Outrun’ Lands at Sony Pictures Classics for October Release
Brian Welk
It wasn’t long ago that IndieWire predicted Saoirse Ronan could be headed for yet another Best Actress Oscar nomination for her stellar work in the Sundance darling “The Outrun.” But that was only if the movie, which we said was one of the buzziest sales titles out of the festival, actually found a buyer.
Now Ronan will be in the thick of it as Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films have teamed up to release “The Outrun” in North American theaters on October 4 later this year.
Nora Fingscheidt (“System Crasher”) directed “The Outrun,” which first premiered to strong reviews at Sundance and has already toured other festivals such as Berlin and Biarritz Nouvelles Vagues Festival, where Ronan won the top acting prize.
“The Outrun” is based on a celebrated memoir by Amy Liptrot and is a heavy drama about alcoholism, addiction, and recovery. Ronan in the film is not playing Liptrot by name but Rona, a Scottish woman who returns to her home to the Orkney Islands after a decade away, now sober but lonely. The film jumps around in time and shows Rona attempting to suppress memories of her past, and it also shows her embracing the majesty of the Scottish isles and finding strength in them.
Liptrot co-wrote the screenplay with Fingscheidt and suffuses it with profound and intelligent narration about Rona’s observations and musings about nature and science. But Ronan too gives some of the best work of her career in the emotionally volatile and vulnerable performance. David Ehrlich in his review out of Sundance said Ronan gives a “voraciousness” to each scene and lends “The Outrun” a “dizzying and mesmeric effect.”
In speaking with IndieWire at Sundance, Ronan, who also made “The Outrun” the first film she’s ever produced, said the Rona character was a role she was “born to play” and one she was perhaps not equipped for earlier in her career.
As for the film’s Oscar chances, Ronan may now easily be elevated to frontrunner status. But she’s also expected to be a contender for “Blitz,” the new film from Steve McQueen. That movie is an Apple Original Films release but does not yet have a release date.
Also starring in “The Outrun” are Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, and Saskia Reeves. Presented by Stage 6 Films, “The Outrun” is a BBC Film, Screen Scotland, and MBK Productions presentation and a Brock Media and Arcade Pictures production, in co-production with Weydemann Bros and Studiocanal. The film is produced by Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, and Ronan.
“‘The Outrun’ is a film that means the world to everyone involved and we are delighted to have found a home at Sony Pictures Classics as our North American partners. Their taste and experience are inspiring, and we are excited to embark on this journey together,” said filmmakers Fingscheidt, Brocklehurst, Norris, Lowden, and Ronan.
The project reunites Sony Pictures Classics with Ronan, who previously starred in the 2018 film adaption of “The Seagull.”
“‘The Outrun’ is a stunning movie, beautifully directed by Nora Fingscheidt with a career-best performance from Saoirse Ronan. It is a privilege to bring this accomplished and moving drama to audiences everywhere this fall,” SPC said in a statement.
Check out the international trailer for “The Outrun” here, where the film is set to open September 27 in UK theaters from StudioCanal.
