Written by: Charlotte Regan
Starring: Harris Dickinson, Lola Campbell, Alin Uzun, Cary Crankson, Carys Bowkett
Rating: [3.5/5]
Taking on the burden for caring for oneself challenges even those who have received the proper preparation for when the time arrives. It makes those who find a way to manage it even during the most adverse circumstances all the more impressive. Having this happen to an actual child makes it additionally quite frightening, but through its charming approach, Scrapper delves into a dynamic seen before but one that still finds its way into your heart.
Living alone after her mother died but claiming to social services that she lives with her uncle, preteen Georgie (Lola Campbell) makes things work for her by stealing bicycles and selling them for profit. When her absentee father, Jason (Harris Dickinson) arrives out of the blue, he tries to reconnect with her despite her protests.
Bringing nothing necessarily new within its general story structure, Scrapper succeeds through exhibiting an all-true tale through a unique scope and with lovely characters at the center. We have this hardened child trying to make her way in this world have to come to grips with a father who released all responsibility trying to rebuild their bond. It asks the big questions of what made the father want to reach out now and does she actually need him seeing as she has made it this far without him. With Jason specifically, based on his age, it proves evident he and Georgie’s mother had her when they were quite young themselves meaning they were not in the place to bring a child into this world and Jason agreed given that he left them to fend for themselves. Therefore, this film looks at the limits of forgiveness and where these two can build new paths towards a father-daughter relationship.
What ultimately makes this film work is Georgie as a character and the rambunctiousness Lola Campbell brings to the role. She portrays this unruly little preteen who insists she can handle everything by herself, when by no means does she have to. She brings this propulsive energy into every scene and proved to be quite unpredictable in her actions where she continually draws this line of navigating like an adult but still in childhood age. We see this with the foul language she utilizes when angry where she wants it to come across with the venom an adult would but she very much does not have the physical disposition or age to present a real threat. She gets herself sometimes in the fact she’s a child but then we have the moments when we discover what sits behind a locked room that serves as a firm reminder of her age that truly breaks the heart.
Building this dynamic with Jason serves as the film’s biggest challenge in trying to forge and it certainly makes for a bit of a unique father-daughter dynamic where Jason probably sits at the same maturity level of his daughter. He not only allows her to continue to steal bikes, but he further eggs it on and encourages it by giving her more tricks of the trade, such as scratching off the serial number to avoid police detection. It displays these two were both raised in the same environment where these illicit activities felt like the only path towards providing adequate sustenance. Like father, like daughter in that respect and it only further proves that just as Georgie has plenty to learn as she’s just a child, Jason still has so much to learn as well in the realm of operating as a father. We see these growing pains throughout the film as he tries to develop some authority despite having nothing to stand on, which further adds to the challenge set before him.
Scrapper has all the rugged charm one could want from a story we’ve seen before but done so through this British indie context. Charlotte Regan impresses in her feature debut in delving into these characters with plenty of love but also willing to challenge them in the way they will ultimately grow from this experience. As coming-of-age as it gets but one where we see this play out in a class that does not typically get the spotlight when typically the regency receives all the spotlight. Everything in this film feels realer, more human, and makes for a heartwarming story.
Films with Josh 
