Saoirse Ronan seamlessly inhabits an atmospheric, rough-edged recovery narrative set in the magnificent landscapes of Orkney.
Months after disrupting her biology studies with near-lethal amounts of alcohol and clubbing, Rona retreats from Hackney’s nightlife to her broken family’s home in the far-north Scottish islands, hoping to restart on firmer ground. Its stark beauty and isolation, along with RSPB volunteering and new connections, offer this – but the strong pull of addiction and trauma will not make it easy.
Adapting a memoir with its author Amy Liptrot, director Nora Fingscheidt (System Crasher) brings out all the pain, confusion, and unsoftened feeling of a deeply personal
story and makes it sing cinematically, lifted by an otherworldly yet believably lived-in setting. Ronan shines in a rare present-day role, dropping polish and melodrama in an awkward, vulnerable struggle to self-improvement.
