URCHIN Review

Mike (Frank Dillane) is a street urchin in London, struggling to just get by.

When we first meet him, he's chasing down a friend that's stolen his wallet. A scuffle ensues between the two men, one that is largely ignored by nearly everyone just casually walking by. Eventually, a decent man, Simon (Okezie Morro) steps in and breaks things up, even offering to take Mike for a bite to eat.

As the two men begin to walk to a nearby bagel shop, Mike attacks Simon and steals his watch. He quickly flees the scene and enters a shop where he sells Simon's watch. Shortly after walking out of the shop, he is stopped by the police and taken into custody.

While at the station, Mike tries to lie his way out of things before the officer reminds him that they have everything on CCTV. He ultimately caves and winds up doing a stint of a few months in prison.

After his release, Mike is determined to turn things around. He's stayed clean and sober for seven months, has temporary housing in a nearby hostel, and even secured a job as a chef at a local hotel.

Can he stay on the straight-and-narrow despite constantly finding himself surrounded by the temptations of his old ways?

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In his feature directorial debut, Harris Dickinson, who also wrote the screenplay, takes a humanist approach to the topics of addiction and recovery. He chooses not to vilify Mike for having a problem, instead deciding to take a look at the broken system that he's forced to be a part of.

Whether it is the moral complexities that he faces or the harsh reality of trying to better himself in a system that sets him up to fail, you find yourself invested in Mike's story from the start. The fact that we don't get a lot of backstory on Mike doesn't matter because Frank Dillane draws you in and fascinates you throughout. This is especially true when we're given glimpses of happiness for Mike. Singing karaoke with his co-workers, for example, shows us just how much acceptance and a sense of belonging means to him.

One minute you're sympathetic towards a young man who is absolutely beaten down by life and the hand he was dealt, the next you're shaking your head in disappointment as Mike begins to self-destruct. Frank Dillane takes us on an emotional rollercoaster, mostly through mannerisms and facial expressions, and delivers one of the best lead performances of the year.

Has this type of story been told before? Absolutely, hunderds of times. So it is understandable as to why parts of Urchin feel very paint-by-numbers. However, Dickinson was not afraid to take some swings to make his debut stand out from the pack. The best example being the nightmare dreamlike sequences that Mike encounters. They are used sparingly yet effectively, mostly when Mike is alone, both physically and mentally.

While it might feel like Harris Dickinson made the jump from actor to director rather early on in his career, he shows with Urchin that he has what it takes.

Urchin is now available via VOD and is one that should not be missed.

🍿 SCORE = 87/ 100