Often compelled to avert our eyes as we skirt the homeless on the street, in this portrait of a homeless addict in East London, director Harris Dickinson focuses our gaze on Mike and his desperate struggle to survive. It is an astonishing achievement for the first-time director, an actor known for Babygirl, to propel us into this dark world, a world he knows well from local charity work. Similarly remarkable is the way Frank Dillane draws us in and makes us care about his down-and-out character. The young actor carries the film with a raw openness and intelligence, bringing a certain charm to Mike, lurking beneath violent outbursts, dishonesty and a cycle of self- destruction. Competing in the Un Certain Regard at Cannes in May, Urchin won the Fipresci Prize and star Frank Dillane was awarded best actor, along with the film’s well-deserved standing ovation. UK 2025 (99 minutes) BFI-Sponsored
Playing as part of Mostly British Festival
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