“It's very rough. It's cold, it's windy, it's harsh,” says Nora Fingscheidt.
That’s Nora Fingscheidt, director of The Outrun. She says she loves characters who struggle with their inner demons — stories where the antagonism is more than an outside struggle.
“The brutality of the nature in combination with this very honest story of Amy's life was what moved me so much,” Fingsheidt says.
The Outrun is based on a memoir of the same name by Amy Liptrot — it’s her story of addiction recovery and healing set on Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands. Fans of the book will notice some differences in the film. Liptrot says the main character has a new name.
“She's no longer called Amy. She's called Rona. And that allowed me to re-approach the material and allow ourselves some room for fictional elements to create a new work of art,” Liptrot says.
Liptrot wants fans to know it’s a new way into the same material.
“They'll actually get to see — visually — Orkney and the island of Papay [Papa Westray],” Liptrot says.
Fingsheidt says she hopes the movie helps people develop empathy for those struggling with addiction.
“People are like, 'Yeah, you're sober now get on with your life,’ but it's not so easy. If you're in recovery, it's a lifelong process. And it goes back and forth like a dance.”
The lead character is portrayed by Saoirse Ronan.
“We've all experienced addiction in some way. And I'm no different. So there are scenes in the film that were incredibly upsetting for me to bring to life, and a deeper understanding of what it's like to be in the shoes of someone who's going through that every single day.
Ronan says there are many non-actors in the film. They’re people in recovery telling their actual stories.
“We've included them and they've only made the movie richer, and they very much informed the performance that I give. I'm very grateful to them,” says Ronan.
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