When it comes to adulthood (and parenting), it’s hard not to get away with it.
Sundance debut film “Scrapper” centers on young father Jason, played by “Triangle of Sadness” star Harris Dickinson, who returns to small-town England to reunite with his 12-year-old daughter Georgie (Lola Campbell) after abandonment of the mother. (Olivia Brady) death. The film marks director Charlotte Regan’s feature film debut.
The father-daughter comedy follows Georgie (Campbell), a resourceful 12-year-old girl who secretly lives alone in her flat in a working-class London suburb after her mother’s death. She earns money by stealing bikes with her best friend Ali (Alin Uzun) and keeps social workers away by pretending to live with an uncle. Out of nowhere, her estranged father Jason (Dickinson) comes upon her and forces her to face reality. Uninterested in this sudden new parental figure, Georgie stubbornly resists her efforts. As they adjust to their new circumstances, Georgie and Jason discover that they both still have a long way to go growing up.
‘Scrapper’ was ranked among the best films of Sundance 2023 in IndieWire’s critics’ poll, won the Grand Jury Prize at the festival and gained US distribution with Kino Lorber. IndieWire’s review praised director Regan’s vision for having a certain “timelessness” in capturing the coming of age story between a father and daughter.
“Although ‘Scrapper’ – and Georgie – have some rough edges, Regan’s film is remarkably gentle, without being saccharine,” reads the review. “Her wry remarks of her are more effective than the big emotional swings that ‘Scrapper’ sometimes, but not often, she chooses to accept. As a British debut by a female director about a father-daughter relationship, ‘Scrapper’ has already been compared to Charlotte Wells’ fantastic ‘Aftersun’ (mostly, of course, by those trying to sell the film; almost any film should be so lucky). In truth, it’s almost nothing like that. Where ‘Aftersun’ probes uneasily into emotional depths, ‘Scrapper’ remains wisely light to the touch.
The review continues: “The sweetness of ‘Scrapper’ is not to be confused with a lack of ambition on Regan’s part. Georgie and Jason have just a little less to worry about. Dickinson is beautifully natural as a simple man with little to hide. Even though he doesn’t strive for the dramatic ups and downs that his actors could probably get, ‘Scrapper’ is a smart and sensitive debut and a promising arrival for its talented director.
“Scrapper” will premiere August 25 via Kino Lorber in New York City at the IFC Center. Check out the trailer below.
