The Outrun is a story of addiction – alcohol addiction, specifically – but it’s a film that looks at the almost mythological origins of addiction. Are we born an addict, or is it borne from circumstance? It’s fitting for a film set on the Scottish coast, where its main character, played with devastating humanity by Saoirse Ronan, is a biologist who often waxes poetic about humanity’s origins. Character studies about addicts, or even unlikeable protagonists, are nearly as old as film itself, and while writer-director Nora Fingsheidt’s film isn’t an entirely fresh entry, it feels like it comes from a place of genuine sincerity.

It can be a bold storytelling choice to tell a film through a non-linear timeframe, but The Outrun bounces back and forth in the life of Rona (Ronan), and her sobriety journey. The best indicator for when we are is through the visual flair of Ronan’s shock of turquoise or red hair and how it conflicts with her natural blonde. It’s not always easy to follow, but perhaps, Fingsheidt suggests, recovery isn’t always a straight path, but a series of setbacks and leaps forward.

Essentially, the film follows Rona, a farmer’s daughter with a master’s degree in biology, as she returns home to help on the farm. Through the occasional voiceover, she discusses various legends passed down for generations about native animals, and their places in the world. When we’re not watching Rona in the present day as she tries to start a new job studying the birds and plants nearby, we see montage after montage of her falling deeper and deeper into alcoholism. It can be a bit tiresome after nearly 2 hours, but Ronan’s performance is never not mesmerizing.

Indeed, Ronan, who has turned in one masterful performance after another for most of her career, makes Rona a sympathetic character, in spite of her frequent decisions that conflict with her own self-interest. Every time she reaches a new low – getting in a fight with a bar owner, blacking out repeatedly, nearly getting raped and abducted by a stranger – she falls back into old, bad habits. Not helping the matter is her father (Stephen Dillane), who’s fighting his own demons like bipolar disorder, and her religious mother (Saskia Reeves).

Based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Fingsheidt, the film imbues Rona with stylistic touches that inform her constant struggle for stability. Besides her noticeable hair, she’s often seen listening to thumping club music and techno, a kind of incessant need for noise in a world of tranquility. Yunus Roy Imer’s cinematography matches Rona’s neon hair to make The Outrun a visually enticing film, utilizing the Scottish countryside and the pulsing nightclubs.

One of Alcoholics Anonymous’ core tenants is to believe in a higher power. Fitting, then, that in this ancient place where traditional folklore meets with modern science, The Outrun really finds its footing. Crucially, Fingsheidt never demonizes Rona for her choices, nor does she treat her as an outright victim of her surroundings. Rather, she leaves us to consider whether her disease is a case of nature or nurture. She’s simply another creature amongst the landscape, destined to return to the earth in one way or another.

The Outrun is in theaters nationwide now.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• With Sony’s backing, and with a number of perceived contenders falling by the wayside, Saoirse Ronan can easily receive her fifth acting nomination. (She could pull of the rare double nomination this year as well, with her supporting turn in Steve McQueen’s Blitz). Without a current frontrunner in Lead Actress, it’s possible Ronan could see her first win here.