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Nora Fingscheidt independent drama caught my eye a little when it released late last year, but I wouldn't be able to see it until a few months later. Films about subjects like addiction can be hard to watch, due to their challenging subject matter and material, but I had high hopes that this would be more than worth it. The mostly positive critical reception seemed to support that.

The cinematography was classically independent in style; complete with handheld camerawork, lots of close-ups, and simple, but very effective, use of settings and lighting. It isn't a flashy film, by any means, but it was certainly nice to look at. I found the shots on the island particularly pretty, and well framed.

The film was full of interesting and highly thought-provoking themes, such as isolation, regret, trauma, heartbreak, redemption, resilience, growth, and, of course, addiction. Though a lot of these themes obviously carry a lot of emotional weight, the film does well to be so much more than just a gritty, depressing, social realism film.

The story has a liberating and heartwarming undercurrent, which gives the film a sense of life. The narrative does not shy away from the trials of sobriety, but goes to lengths to ensure that the audience sees that stories like this don't have to be solely miserable affairs. The use of flashbacks is used very effectively to portray the journey down, which, in turn, makes the journey the audience sees so much more impactful.

Saoirse Ronan gave a brilliant, believable, and consistent performance, which has gone surprisingly under the radar this awards season, in my opinion. Everything she did felt like it was the genuine struggle and behaviour of someone recovering, or suffering, from addiction. These roles are not easy to do with nuance or consistency, but Ronan managed both. She was very impressive.

The rest of the cast were fairly minimal, but there were still a few actors who caught my eye with their performances, even if they were brief by comparison to Ronan; Paapa Essiedu, Nabil Elouahabi, Saskia Reeves, and Stephen Dillane. Of these names, Dillane and Reeves provided the beat acting, for what it's worth.

Overall, while parts of this film are incredibly tough to watch emotionally, other parts were beautiful. It's a film that brings tears to the eyes and a smile to the lips. It's a film that depicts how alcoholism can destroy more than just livers, but also how those who experience it can journey to a much better place within themselves, and that each person who does so has an inner strength and discipline that is truly impressive. I think this was a very good film, topped by a genuinely superb leading performance.