Urchin

An ambitious and accomplished dive into the topical theme of social exclusion, the directorial debut by popular young British actor Harris Dickinson—known from TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2022) and BABYGIRL (2024)—won the International Critics’ award and the Best Actor prize in Cannes’ „Un Certain Regard“ this year. At its gritty heart, URCHIN is a finely-etched, intelligently empathetic character study of its protagonist Mike, as incarnated by Frank Dillane in a performance of quicksilver intensity. The tousle-haired twentysomething is front and centre throughout as he experiences dramatic ups and downs over a period of months. Mike suffers spells of homelessness, a stretch in jail for violent robbery, makes haphazard attempts to go “straight” via gainful employment and even enjoys a budding quasi-romance with a colleague. London’s streets have seldom seemed so forbiddingly hostile, but Dickinson’s screenplay crucially adds streaks of dry humour to cushion the hardknock blows. Occasional hallucinatory interludes further transport us into the haplessly self-destructive Mike’s troubled head, while the ominous atmosphere is conveyed by an outstanding bluesy-electronic score by Alan Myson, aka Ital Tek. (Neil Young)

Harris Dickinson: WHO CARES (2013, K), SURFACE (2014, K), DROP (2015, K), 2003 (2021, K)