Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Starring: Saoirse Ronan
Running Time: 118 minutes
Synopsis: The story unfolds in two timelines. In the flashbacks, Rona (Saoirse Ronan) is a college student in London. She neglects her studies, moves in with her boyfriend, slips into a lifestyle of partying, and succumbs to alcoholism. In the present, Rona has moved back home to the remote and rugged Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, where she reconnects with her separated mother and father. She secures a low-stress bird preservation job, but the urge to drink is never far away.
What Works Well: The beauty of the Orkney Islands provides a spectacular and unique backdrop for an otherwise standard journey of healing. Saoirse Ronan is magnetic in her portrayal of a young woman who has lost her way, and now experiencing her parents' dysfunction (mom has surrendered to religion, dad is bipolar) in a new light. Recovery passes through nature and solitude, but only after the desire to reclaim control emerges from the wreckage.
What Does Not Work As Well: This is a small human drama occupying limited emotional space, with barely sufficient material for 90 minutes. The unnecessary stretching towards two hours results in languid pacing, repetitive notes, and static scenery to obscure the sparse content.
Key Quote:
Rona (narrating): United Kingdom is an island off Europe. Orkney Islands is an island off United Kingdom. Westray is an island off Orkney and Papa Westray is an island off Westray.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
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