Urchin: Harris Dickinson’s distinctive debut suggests an exciting career behind the camera lies ahead

In the opening scenes of his directorial debut Urchin, Harris Dickinson keeps us at a distance from his protagonist Michael (Frank Dillane). We watch from across the street as he trudges up to uninterested pedestrians in search of loose change, gathers with other rough sleepers at a soup kitchen, or seeks a relatively dry and safe space to lay down his cardboard and get some sleep. This distance is apt for a film about homelessness, a problem that many of us choose to ignore as we walk past it every day, but Dickinson gradually brings us closer to Michael, allowing us to see the insecurities and contradictions of someone trapped in a cycle that he cannot break.

It’s easy to like Michael. As played by the outstanding Dillane, he’s polite, vulnerable and tender particularly when contrasted with fellow rough sleeper Nathan (a vivid Dickinson cameo) and when a good Samaritan offers to buy him some food, it warms your heart; but then Michael violently mugs this stranger to pawn his watch. Michael’s five years on the streets have made him a survivor above all else, and a dangerous volatility and desperation lurk constantly within this charming young man.

Urchin follows Michael through a period of relative stability, when he gets a job in a hotel kitchen and maintains sobriety, and it’s the best stretch of the movie. It’s here that the work of casting director Shaheen Baig really shines, surrounding Dillane with actors who feel entirely authentic, especially the excellent Buckso Dhillon Woolley as his no-nonsense parole officer, and Amr Waked as the kind chef who takes him on but finds his patience quickly tested. Dillane’s performance exhibits a strong sense of pride and hope as Michael gets to work and makes new connections, but we’re always aware how precarious his situation is, and that the only way is down.

Dickinson seems slightly hamstrung by the drearily predictable trajectory of Michael backsliding into addiction and homelessness, but he does make some bold attempts to break with the conventions of social realism. Unexpected surreal interludes punctuate the film, perhaps suggesting Michael’s inner life or his unspoken desires, and even if they don’t always connect, they are imaginative choices, representative of a director who is unafraid of taking big swings. At the age of 28, Dickinson has already established himself as a distinctive onscreen talent, and with this flawed but admirable film, he’s serving notice that his career behind the camera may be just as exciting to follow.

► Urchin is in UK cinemas Oct 3.