Cannes 2025: Harris Dickinson’s Film ‘Urchin’ is an Impressive Debut
by Alex Billington
May 17, 2025
Stuck sleeping on the street, with no one to turn to for help, nowhere to go… How can you pull yourself back together in this situation? How does one get out of this rut? The next actor trying their hand at directing is the very talented British youngster Harris Dickinson (of Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw, Babygirl, Scrapper, Blitz). His feature directorial debut is a movie titled Urchin, premiering at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. This film is also playing alongside Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut titled The Chronology of Water – and between these two projects, it is Dickinson’s film and choices and vision that really stand out. Both written & directed by Dickinson, Urchin follows the compelling story of a homeless man named Mike – a rough sleeper in London, trapped in a cycle of self-destruction as he attempts to turn his life around. Not only is the direction confident and the vision for this story clear, it’s a damn good film featuring some clever creative choices. Delighted to report it’s one of the year’s best debuts.
Urchin stars actor Frank Dillane in a social realism story that thankfully does not vilify or glorify any its characters. Dillane is outstanding – not only convincing in his role as the guy living on the street at the start, but also just as fascinating to follow as he goes through ups & downs. After being sent to prison, he emerges sober and tries to work jobs and gets his life back on track living in hostel as part of a rehab program. The film has an inspired mix of Ken Loach x Sean Baker vibes and filmmaking, with a plenty of humor and honesty that makes a big difference, topped off cinematic flourishes that actually enhance the storytelling. It’s refreshing to see the story progress from being about a homeless guy to someone trying to be better. I don’t think it’s acceptable to blame him entirely or call him a jerk, especially when the film makes a strong effort to show that often it’s the system or other people that keep bringing him down or sending him into a spiral that leads to depression & drugs again. I was consistently impressed by the subtly and empathy of the filmmaking. And also with how Dickinson approached this story, putting his stamp on this film and showing he has an eye for cinematic storytelling. He’s obviously inspired by Ken Loach but not trying to imitate him.
Dickinson has directed a few short films before this, and it’s exciting to see him deliver such a potent debut as his first feature. I really hope he goes on to direct more (small scale) films after this. There’s compassion and humility and understanding evident in his storytelling with Urchin. It’s not just a social realism film, it’s also entertaining, and the many sly comedic moments actually make this film all the more lovable. Let’s be honest – it’s not easy to tell a story about the kind of person on the street that most people despise. It’s even harder to tell this story in an empathetic way, and craft a film that audiences will feel moved by and amused by while watching. Dillane’s performance as Mike is a key part of it is as well, because he needs to not only make sure this character is funny and likeable enough, but also keep him authentic and believable as he goes through various moments of struggle, sobriety, anger and inebriation. Now I’m confident that Dickinson can handle any kind of story, though I hope he continues to stay focused on more meaningful humanistic stories instead of taking a big Hollywood job next. Until then, this Urchin is worth spending time hanging out with.
Alex’s Cannes 2025 Rating: 8 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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