Why we picked it – A British indie adaptation of a prize winning memoir, a German director whose first film we have shown and an outstanding actress in the lead role.  That’s enough reasons..

Synopsis – Rona’s life is in free-fall. Her relationship with her boyfriend is breaking down and the film starts with her being thrown out of a pub in London. She leaves London for her childhood home in   Orkney to try and come to terms with her addiction. But this no easy homecoming: her father is schizophrenic and bipolar and her mother an evangelical Christian. She gets a temporary job mapping rare corncrakes for the RSPB and spends a winter on the remote island of Papa Westray. The wild landscape and its fauna help her recovery.

The film– Nora Fingscheidt directed System Crasher, the last film we showed in 2020 before lockdown. It was the UK premiere! Saoirse Ronan needs no introduction. This film is a sensitive depiction of addiction with effective flashbacks (look out for the hair colour)  between Rona’s chaotic London life  and the Orkneys now and in her childhood. This reflects the book on which the film is based which mixes reflections and memories with immediate descriptions of Orkney’s wild nature, wind, geology, and wildlife. Here is an interview with Saoirse Ronan and Nora Fingscheidt talking about the film.

Director – Nora Fingscheidt Writer: Writers: Daisy Lewis, Amy Liptrot, Nora Fingscheidt Cinematography:Yunus Roy Imer

Links imdb New York Times review Guardian review Little White Lies reviews