Urchin (2025 film)
| Urchin | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Harris Dickinson |
| Written by | Harris Dickinson |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | Frank Dillane |
| Cinematography | Josée Deshaies |
Production companies | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Urchin is a 2025 British drama film written and directed by Harris Dickinson, in his feature-length directorial debut, and starring Frank Dillane, Megan Northam and Amr Waked.
The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2025, where Dickinson won the FIPRESCI Prize and Dillane won the Best Actor award.[1][2][3]
Premise
Michael barely scrapes by, surviving at the very edge of society in a world that is brutal and indifferent. After a tense incident lands him in prison, he tries to piece his life back together — entering rehab, looking for work, and attempting to reconnect with people. [4]
Cast
- Frank Dillane as Mike
- Megan Northam
- Amr Waked
- Karyna Khymchuk
- Shonagh Marie
Production
Development
The film was directed by Harris Dickinson in his feature length debut.[5] It was produced by Devisio Pictures, a production company Dickinson launched with producer Archie Pearch.[6] Dickinson has described it as being about mental health and "people who fall between the cracks" and "the ways in which the system fails people in certain ways.”[7] Scott O’Donnell served as a producer on the film which received British Film Institute (BFI) Filmmaking Fund production support in 2024.[8]
Casting
The cast was led by Frank Dillane and included Megan Northam, Amr Waked, Karyna Khymchuk and Shonagh Marie.[9]
Filming
Principal photography began in London in June 2024.[10] In January 2025, Dickinson confirmed on the Empire Magazine podcast that the film was in post-production.[11]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 26 critics' reviews are positive.[12] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13] Time Out Magazine compared it to the work of Andrea Arnold and suggested that "Dillane has an uncanny ability to make us sympathise with Mike – even when he’s acting heinously."[14] Dirty Movies compared it to Quadrophenia,[15] while Far Out Magazine described it as "one of the best directorial debuts" from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.[16]
Accolades
| Award / Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 23 May 2025 | Un Certain Regard Award | Harris Dickinson | Nominated | [1] |
| Un Certain Regard – Best Actor | Frank Dillane | Won | [17] | ||
| 24 May 2025 | Camera d'Or | Harris Dickinson | Nominated | [1] | |
| FIPRESCI Prize (Un Certain Regard) | Won | [3] |
References
- ^ a b c "The films of the Official Selection 2025". Festival de Cannes. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ a b Lang, Jamie (24 May 2025). "Kleber Mendonça Filho's Brazilian Epic 'The Secret Agent' Wins Fipresci Award at Cannes: 'A Rich, Strange and Deeply Troubling Story'". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ Snap, Pavel (19 May 2025). "Movie Review: Urchin by Harris Dickinson". Showbiz by PS. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Malkin, Marc (12 December 2024). "Harris Dickinson Plays Coy About Starring as John Lennon in Sam Mendes' Beatles Biopics: 'It Would Be Amazing to Do That'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ Vardhan, Harsh (2 May 2024). "'Dream Space': Harris Dickinson to Make His Feature Directorial Debut". Moviedelic. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Mayers, Kacion (26 November 2024). "Harris Dickinson: From beach rat to baby boy". Dazed Digital. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ Tabbara, Mona (27 December 2024). "'The Thing With Feathers' , 'Pillion' among key 2024 BFI production awards". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Ritman, Alex; Keslassy, Elsa (12 February 2025). "Harris Dickinson's Directorial Debut 'Urchin' Starring Frank Dillane Heads to EFM With Charades (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ Calnan, Ellie (14 August 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ "Empire Podcast Episode #650 Live in Kings Place - Nick Frost, Harris Dickinson, Claes Bang, Joe Alwyn". Podcasts.Apple.com. 12 January 2025. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "Urchin". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Urchin". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ https://www.timeout.com/movies/urchin-review-2025
- ^ https://dmovies.org/2025/05/19/urchin/
- ^ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/is-urchin-the-best-cannes-directorial-debut/
- ^ Ntim, Zac (23 May 2025). "Chilean Drama 'The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo' Wins Top Un Certain Regard Prize — Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 23 May 2025.