The crashing of waves, the somber recrimination of chilly charcoal clouds: for the young woman at the center of this story, Rona—played, in a marvelously nuanced performance by Saoirse Ronan —these are both markers of time and reminders that sometimes it’s necessary to temporarily drop out of time,

At 30, the Irish actress has already spent two decades in front of the camera, collecting many awards. Her two latest projects are also generating Oscars buzz.

Ronan is at her searching, sensational best in "The Outrun" in the change-of-pace role of Rona, a biologist living in London with her boyfriend Daynin (the excellent Paapa Essiedu), who grows increasingly impatient with the destructive hardcore party girl Rona has become.