Over the last couple of years, Harris Dickinson has made waves in the industry with films like Babygirl, The Iron Claw, Where the Crawdads Sing, and what could be seen as his breakout role in Triangle of Sadness, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2022. He’s truly unstoppable, having most recently been cast as John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ four part biopic on The Beatles. But before jumping into the world of The Beatles, Dickinson has taken a leap in his career and as an artist with this fantastic debut as a writer slash director with the film Urchin – which also first premiered at Cannes Film Festival this year.
We open to Mike (played by Frank Dillane) curled up on the concrete, sleeping on the noisy streets of London. He lives his life, barely surviving on the outskirts of society while the world around him continues to turn; spending his days going to charity shelters for food and begging pathetically on the streets to unwilling pedestrians. After highlighting the hardships Mike constantly faces in the homeless epidemic, there is a sharp turn of events, where Mike quickly realises that his wallet had been stolen, and angrily accuses Nathan (played by Harris Dickinson in a small role) – a very loose acquaintance, if that – of being the culprit who did so. In a violent spat to retrieve what belongs to him, a working class man named Simon (played by Okezie Morro) breaks up the fight and kindly offers to buy him food and drinks, seeing his visibly distressed state. Unfortunately, Simon’s good willed intentions are taken advantage of, as he is quickly blind sided as Mike beats him, steals his watch, his money, and is ultimately arrested.
The arrest seemingly opens Mike’s eyes to what his life has become, and with the help of a probation officer, is able to turn a new leaf; finding a job as a chef at a hotel, having temporary shelter in a hostel, connecting with his coworkers, and finding his own peace through meditative audio. It finally feels like Mike’s life is worth something to him for the first time in years. That is until he’s faced with Simon in a therapeutic session to talk of the traumatic event that happened a year prior. This confrontation is overwhelming and emotionally triggering, which unfortunately leads him to spiral, losing his job due to his lack of care, and taking on a less than fulfilling litter picking job. This change brings him to Andrea (played by Megan Northam), a carefree and lively presence whose demeanour eventually steers Mike to let go of his sobriety (at his own doing) and lose every ounce of progress he had made. We then begin to watch him slowly fall apart and revert back to the man he once was.
Throughout the film there are also snippets of a surrealist world that take the audience out of the present. Shots of Mike looking up from the depths of a sinkhole in a lush forest, microscopic views of microorganisms in the body, and the final scene where Mike is drawn to what looks like a place of worship, and is comforted by a version of “Nathan” who throws him through a door where he endlessly falls to his demise.
Urchin does a fantastic job at bringing audiences back to the beginning, with the final shot of the film showing Mike curled up the same way he was when we first see him. The relentless cycle starting again.
One minor criticism was that the surreal moments in the film, at times, fell short and felt unfinished. While it’s important that filmmakers trust an audience to understand or come to their own conclusions on the symbolism and meaning behind obscure visuals, rather than hand holding them all the way through, these moments felt underutilised. Where it felt more like these scenes were placed in the film for the sake of proving artistic credibility rather than dive deeper into its meaning. With that said, it doesn’t take away from the story at all, if anything it probably leaves audiences craving more on what these symbolic choices are meant to signify.
But as a first film, this genuinely was a great directorial debut. Dickinson wrote and directed Urchin in a way that lends to the talent of the cast. Dillane plays into the disparity of an unjust world through a desperate and helpless performance. And despite what Mike does in the film, Dillane’s ability to play into the unlikely charm and at times neediness to be better only makes people root for him more.
Directors having had experience on screen seems to only offer more to audiences. With their extensive knowledge and experience on the craft, their ability to translate scripts into tangible and honest performances is seamless. This debut from Dickinson only proves that young directors shouldn’t be discredited and given more of these opportunities to showcase what they can give to the industry in more ways than just being on screen. While not a perfect film, it was still enjoyable and gives us a taste of Dickinson’s keen eye and what he is capable of.
