The first feature from actor-turned-writer/director Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Babygirl), Urchin is an assured debut that premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Mike (Frank Dillaine) is sleeping rough and panhandling in the outskirts of London, mostly keeping to himself until a brawl with his best friend Nathan (Dickinson) sets of a violent chain of events that will land him in jail. On release the newly-sober Mike seems to make a fresh start with a kitchen job, room of his own and even some tentative steps to healthier friendships- but with the deck stacked against him the temptation to backslide into old habits may be stronger than his will to make a change.

With Urchin, Dickinson has managed the difficult task of portraying the experience of down-and-outers without indulging in exploitative moralising, aided by Dillaine's sensitive portrayal of a deeply flawed man. By no means is this a miserabilist slog, however: kept afloat by moments of joy, these characters care for each other even as they're unable to care for themselves, finding connection in some dark places. Dickinson's dexterous handling of thorny issues like addiction and restorative justice are balanced with keen visual acumen as sensations from the past intrude with dream-like insistence, creating moments of mystery that resist easy explanation.