Urchin is directed Harris Dickinson which is his directorial debut. 

To say Urchin is a quite impressive directorial debut would be an understatement, Harris Dickinson an actor who has built a solid lineup of performances (The Iron Claw, Babygirl, Beach Rats and Triangle Of Sadness.) has created something truly special here, Dickinson proves here that not only is he talented acting wise but he’s also incredibly talented behind the camera. The authenticity of Urchin and just how moving the film is really made it all the more worth it. 

The performances all around are fantastic, Frank Dillane gives this authentic performance of someone who’s trying to get their life back on track. There’s moments of victory for Mike (played by Frank Dillane) and there’s moments of painful setbacks, Dillane is able to capture every single one of these moments in this powerful and detailed way that at times it’s both mesmerizing and hard to watch. There’s one particular scene here that displays the film’s joy incredibly well and is a scene that I actually did find myself shedding a tear. Megan Northam is also quite fantastic here as well, her chemistry with Frank Dillane is beautiful and the conversations the two have together have this authentic feel that remains throughout the film. 

The main theme of Urchin is trying to get your life back together a message that I’m sure almost any person can get behind. The way the film goes about exploring this theme is very well done, as I said before the film shows both the moments of victory and moments of painful setbacks. It’s all shown in this authentic way that never goes off course, there’s moments of surrealism but they mesh incredibly well with the story being told. These moments give the film some more room of exploration for the viewer, moments of Mike’s relapse into drug addiction make for some sequences that are handled in this honest and respectful way. 

The writing and direction from Harris Dickinson is absolutely fascinating, authentic is the word I would use to best describe it all. Dickinson paints a portrait of a man’s life that has its wins and losses, the cinematography from Josée Deshaies gives the film this raw in nature look and compliments Dickinson’s direction. Dickinson also brings this powerful human feel that the viewer quickly connects with, depicting struggles such as addiction, classicism and self destruction isn’t an easy task. But Dickinson handles each of these struggles with so much care and honesty that it ends up surprising the viewer. 

Overall Urchin is a wonderful film that shows Harris Dickinson has a lot to offer as a director, if this is what he can accomplish with his directorial debut. Then I am eagerly waiting to see what he does next. 

Urchin releases Friday in theaters! 

9/10 A