Last night’s Cineworld Secret Screening 16 turned out to be a real wildcard: Urchin, the directorial debut of Harris Dickinson, with a quietly astonishing, award-worthy performance from Frank Dillane at its centre.
The film follows Mike (Dillane), a homeless man drifting through the cold streets of London, locked in a relentless cycle of self-destruction. He’s a man who keeps trying to claw his way back to some kind of normality—picking up short-term jobs, leaning on small-time hustles—but the ghosts of his past keep tugging him under. There’s a constant tension between the hope of a fresh start and the heavy pull of old habits and memories, and Dillane captures that battle with an intensity that feels both raw and lived-in.
Heading into the Secret Screening, I sensed most people were banking on The Smashing Machine turning up. You could almost hear the collective intake of breath when the title card for Urchin appeared. It wasn’t disappointment exactly, more that delicious ripple of surprise when a room full of film fans realise they’re about to watch something they know absolutely nothing about. That’s the magic of these screenings—no expectations, just the film itself.
I’ve always gravitated toward movies with that unmistakable indie texture, and Urchin fits right in. The production feels stripped back and immediate, as though the camera is simply observing life as it happens. Dickinson, best known to many as an actor, directs with a quiet confidence, letting long takes and natural light do the heavy lifting. There’s an unvarnished realism to the way London is captured—graffiti-scrawled alleyways, late-night buses, the damp chill of a city that barely notices the people sleeping rough in its shadows.
What impressed me most was how unflinching yet compassionate the film is. Mike’s descent to rock bottom isn’t played for melodrama. There are no convenient epiphanies, no tidy moral lessons. Instead, Dickinson gives us small, piercing moments: a fleeting smile with a stranger, a sudden outburst of rage.. Each one lands because Dillane refuses to soften the character—he’s charismatic, yes, but also infuriating and wounded, sometimes all in the same breath.
By the time the credits rolled, the initial surprise of that title card had long since faded into something richer: the sense of having witnessed a debut that knows exactly what it wants to say. Urchin isn’t just a strong first film for Harris Dickinson; it’s a haunting, beautifully observed portrait of a man fighting himself in a city that barely blinks. I left the cinema chilled, moved, and grateful for the gamble of a Secret Screening that paid off in spades.
Urchin is in UK cinemas on October 13.
An Interesting Directorial Debut from Harris Dickinson
Movie title: Urchin (2025)
Movie description: A young addict living on the streets of London is given a shot at redemption, but his road to recovery soon curdles into a strange odyssey from which he may never escape.
Date published: September 30, 2025
Country: UK
Duration: 99 mins
Director(s): Harris Dickinson
Actor(s): Frank Dillane, Megan Northam, Karyna Khymchuk, Shonagh Marie
Genre: Drama
Summary
A gripping indie debut, Urchin delivers a raw, compassionate portrait of homelessness with Frank Dillane’s unforgettable performance and Harris Dickinson’s assured direction.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
