Urchin is a 2025 British drama film, written and directed by Harris Dickinson, in his directorial feature debut. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and was released in the UK on 3 October.

Mike (Frank Dillane) is a young homeless man in London, struggling with addiction and poverty after five years on the streets. On the morning we meet him, he discovers that his wallet has been stolen by his friend Nathan (Harris Dickinson), another homeless man, and they fight. The fight is broken up by Simon, a passer-by, who doesn’t just pass by. He allows Nathan to escape with Mike’s money, but offers to buy Mike a (soft) drink and something to eat. When the opportunity arises, Mike assaults Simon and steals his wallet and his watch. However, it is all captured on CCTV: he is arrested and sentenced to fourteen months in prison. And that is the first five minutes of the film.

Seven months later, Mike is released. He is provided with accommodation, finds himself a job and even gets a girlfriend, Andrea (Megan Northam). However, after seven months sober, he agrees to a restorative justice meeting with his victim, Simon, and this leads to his return to drugs and his life descends into what we assume is its usual downward spiral.

This is a film about mental illness and those who fall between the cracks of our welfare systems. While Mike’s choices are generally despicable and he is utterly self-absorbed and unrepentant, Dillane’s performance makes him rather difficult not to like. And for me this was the beauty of the film. There were no easy answers, no purely good guys or bad guys, and absolutely no preachy speeches. It was Dardenne-like in its objectivity – show don’t tell. I tried hard not to judge Mike, and yet I found myself judging him all the time, however I was constantly aware that I was doing this from a position of privilege.

I doubt anyone actually enjoys this film, in the usual sense of the word, however it is an important film, and it stays with you for a long time after the closing credits. It is an excellent central performance from Dillane and an assured directorial feature debut from 29-year-old Harris Dickinson. My only criticism is that there are a number of unexplained black and white flashbacks and a strange ending, all of which are happening in Mike’s head, which to me felt out of place.

That said, I have no hesitation in recommending Urchin: it is an intelligent and thought-provoking film.