Harris Dickinson’s Directorial Debut, Urchin (2025) | Film Review

Harris Dickinson’s Directorial Debut, Urchin (2025) | Film Review

Sleeping rough on the streets of London, Mike seems unable to escape the chaos of his impulsivity and substance abuse.

“Urchin” is a soul destroying glimpse into a life of addiction, a crushing tale of resilience and desperation. Mike, performed by Frank Dillane, is deceivingly charming but if you get too close he’ll hurt you and himself. “Urchin” spirals out of control, the stories focus is Mike and begins with a fly on the wall approach. Mike begins at the bottom, quite literally huddled into a ball on the floor, our first impression of him is disheartening. 

“Urchin” nurtures its audience into a false sense of security, Mike is likeable and as he gets a grip on reality and attempts to better himself all our hope is ripped away. We witness the struggle and fight for sobriety only for his life to come crashing down around him.

The film soon melts into a strange abyss, a euphoric non-sensical escape in which Mike lives. The story takes us to that place and it is jarring but oddly satisfying to see inside Mike’s head.

This is a character journey, the core of this film is Mike and his journey to self acceptance, judgement and understanding. Everyone and everything around Mike is a symbol of his failure, a constant reminder of his addiction.

“Urchin” was slow at times, the story is incredibly bleak but the character of Mike was utterly magnetic. When I found myself loosing interest, a moment of dark comedy and simple humanity brought me back in.

Aside from the character building and poetic storytelling, “Urchin” is a raw commentary on social and the harsh realities of homelessness. Dickinson uses this film to shine a light on the reality of addiction, giving a voice to those who are often marginalised by society. This is a vulnerable film, a character study disguised as a feature film but feels more like a documentary. 

Harris Dickinson should be proud of this piece, it is stylistic in its approach but simple enough to resonate. The surrealist choices were intriguing and the film overall was mature, memorable and meaningful. Although, my biggest takeaway was the performance from Dillane. He is arresting and easily the most heartbreaking beautiful element to this feature, I was in awe of his portrayal of Mike. 

3/5 Probe Points