🌑Urchin (2025) Review — Harris Dickinson’s Haunting, Hopeful Masterpiece of Humanity and Hurt

Urchin (2025) is not your typical British drama. It’s raw, poetic, and achingly human — a cinematic requiem for the forgotten souls of London’s streets. Marking the directorial debut of Harris Dickinson, this film cements him not just as a gifted actor, but as a storyteller of remarkable empathy and restraint.

With Frank Dillane delivering a career-defining performance as Mike — a homeless man spiraling between addiction, guilt, and redemption — Urchin unfolds like a fractured prayer whispered in the dark.

🌃 A Story Beneath the Streetlights

“We all fall, but some of us fall where no one can see.”

At its core, Urchin follows Mike — a young man adrift on London’s unforgiving streets, haunted by his past and hunted by his impulses. When he accepts money from strangers and loses his wallet, a series of fateful encounters with strangers — from a kind man named Simon to a mysterious violin player — set off a chain of events that blur the line between dream and damnation.

Harris Dickinson’s camera never sensationalizes Mike’s suffering. Instead, it lingers in the silence — on faces, alleyways, and moments of tenderness that pierce through despair. It’s an unflinching portrait of survival and self-sabotage that echoes the realism of Ken Loach but with a surreal undercurrent closer to Under the Skin or The Father.

🎭 Frank Dillane’s Extraordinary Performance

Dillane’s performance as Mike is nothing short of transformative. It’s jittery, vulnerable, and painfully real — a man clawing at his own shadow. His performance at Cannes 2025 rightfully earned him the Best Actor Award in the Un Certain Regard section.

Every twitch, every fleeting smile feels like a fight for life. When Mike meets Nadia, played with quiet warmth by Megan Northam, you can almost see the light trying to return to his eyes — only to be swallowed by the darkness of relapse.

“He’s not a hero. He’s just trying to make it to tomorrow.”

🎥 Harris Dickinson’s Directorial Voice: Wry, Tender, and Unforgiving

With Urchin, Harris Dickinson (known for Beach Rats and Triangle of Sadness) steps behind the camera for the first time — and his debut is astonishingly confident.

He writes and directs with a tone both humane and wryly funny, balancing grit with grace. There are flashes of humor, small mercies amid chaos, and moments where pain meets poetry.

His direction — paired with Josée Deshaies’ moody cinematography — transforms London into something between a dreamscape and a nightmare. The film’s surreal final act, involving a chapel, a void, and the enigmatic violin woman, feels like a descent into purgatory — or maybe, just maybe, a climb toward peace.

🎬 Technical Brilliance and Symbolic Weight

Cinematography: Josée Deshaies captures a London rarely seen — cold yet glowing, harsh yet holy. Every puddle and flickering light feels meaningful.Editing: Rafael Torres Calderón’s nonlinear approach mirrors Mike’s fractured psyche.Score: Alan Myson’s haunting synth and violin compositions breathe life into silence.

Each element works in harmony, elevating Urchin from gritty realism into something spiritual — a meditation on guilt, forgiveness, and the thin line between ruin and redemption.

🕊️ The Final Descent: A Quiet Salvation

The ending of Urchin is surreal, tragic, and strangely peaceful. As Mike follows the violin player into the dark hallways and vanishes into a void, it’s unclear if he’s died or transcended.

It’s the kind of ending that doesn’t tell you what happened — it asks why it matters. Dickinson leaves us in the silence of uncertainty, where the echoes of pain turn into whispers of acceptance.

“He disappears, but not without leaving a mark — on us.”

📅 Release & Reception

• 🎞️ World Premiere: May 17, 2025 (Cannes Film Festival — Un Certain Regard)

• 🏆 Awards:

  • FIPRESCI Prize (Harris Dickinson – Direction)

  • Best Actor Award (Frank Dillane)

• 🇬🇧 UK Release: October 3, 2025, via Picturehouse Entertainment

• 💰 Box Office: $433,064 (limited release)

• ⏱️ Runtime: 99 minutes

Critics have called Urchin “a devastating yet strangely life-affirming debut,” comparing it to early Lynne Ramsay and Andrea Arnold.

“Even the lost deserve to be seen.”

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is Urchin (2025) about?

The film follows Mike, a homeless man in London struggling with addiction, guilt, and survival as he tries to rebuild his life while haunted by his past and surreal visions.

2. Who directed Urchin?

Urchin marks the directorial debut of Harris Dickinson, who also stars in a supporting role as Nathan.

3. Who plays the lead role?

Frank Dillane plays Mike, delivering a deeply emotional and award-winning performance.

4. When was Urchin released?

It premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 17 and was released theatrically in the UK on October 3, 2025.

5. Where can I watch Urchin (2025)?

The film is currently in limited theatrical release via Picturehouse Entertainment and is expected to stream later on BBC iPlayer and MUBI.

6. What awards did the film win?

At Cannes 2025, Urchin won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film in the Un Certain Regard category and Best Actor for Frank Dillane.

7. What genre is Urchin?

It’s a British psychological drama with elements of surrealism and social realism.

🌙 Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

Urchin (2025) is an emotional gut punch — a work of art that stares into the abyss and somehow finds compassion there. Harris Dickinson’s direction is bold, intimate, and deeply human. Frank Dillane delivers one of the finest performances of the year, grounding the film’s surrealism in raw emotion.

This isn’t a film about homelessness. It’s about home — the longing for it, the loss of it, and the fragile hope of finding it again.