By Inspired by the music and lyrics of the one and only Boss, Bruce Springsteen, this grassroots drama set in the small town of Fraserburgh on the the Northern Scottish coast, is a film that seeks to find the personal connection in the songs that we listen to, and how those connections change as we get older and are faced with new challenges.
Run tells the story of Finnie (Mark Stanely) a young father of a teenager still living in his small hometown. With his son seemingly heading down a similar path, driving around at night racing in cars and with a young girlfriend who may be pregnant, Finnie feels on the verge of a breakdown and takes out his son’s car for a night akin to his youth. When his son’s girlfriend, Kelly (Marli Siu), comes along for the drive, Finnie is faced with a night that forces him to see what is really important beyond nostalgic dreams of escape.
Run tells a very slight story; it has a very brief runtime that barely breaks past the 80-minute mark. Its intentions are modest, its story powered by a very obvious personal connection. There’s enough here to relate to though, beyond it being a very specific experience growing up in a small seaside Scottish town. We can likely all relate to the idea of dreaming of leaving home to take on the big wide world and may feel some disappointment when our dreams don’t exactly come to fruition through whatever manner of events. That is what is happening to Finnie, and in trying to recapture the nights of his youth, he finally gets a window to do some growing up and reflect on just where his life has led.
Read the full review at VultureHound, originally published March 6th 2020.
Andrew Gaudion 