--- title: "Urchin: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/urchin/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/urchin" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Urchin (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 17 reviews: 16 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are impressed by Urchin, and the praise lands in the same two places. Nearly every review calls Dickinson’s first film as director compassionate and assured, and almost all of them single out Frank Dillane’s performance as Mike, a homeless man caught in addiction, for conveying neediness and volatility without asking for easy sympathy. Several also admire how the film moves between everyday comedy and dread, and how it refuses to promise recovery. The reservations are mild and cluster around familiarity. Sight and Sound and The AV Club both find the shape of Mike’s relapse predictable, and Slant thinks the film occasionally falls back on cliché despite its good intentions. The Los Angeles Times enjoys the film but finds its dreamy interludes unnecessary, where Empire counts the surreal sequences among its virtues. The spread is narrow: no critic dislikes it, and even the coolest reviews call it respectable and affecting. ## Empire — Iana Murray Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2025. Murray praises Urchin as an empathetic, original directorial debut that resists easy answers. She singles out Frank Dillane’s outstanding performance and the film’s observational visuals and surreal sequences. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/urchin/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2025. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the film a smart, compassionate and impressive directorial debut, though it offers no easy answers. He particularly praises Frank Dillane’s vulnerable, finely observed central performance. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/18/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-homelessness-drama-is-terrific-directorial-debut) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 7 October 2025. Festival review. Ehrlich praises Dickinson’s debut as a perceptive, bracing portrait of a homeless man caught in destructive patterns. He singles out Frank Dillane’s magnetic performance for conveying neediness and volatility without resorting to easy sympathy. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-1235123062/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. Strong finds the film poignant and humane, balancing its bleakness with moments of lightness. She especially praises Frank Dillane’s charismatic, vulnerable performance at the film’s centre. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/urchin-first-look-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2025. Festival review. Rooney finds Dickinson’s debut a thoughtful, distinctive portrait of addiction and homelessness. He especially praises Frank Dillane’s volatile, deeply committed performance as Mike. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-frank-dillane-1236213023/) ## Time Out — Kaleem Aftab Rating 4/5. 12 May 2025. Festival review. The review presents Dickinson’s debut as an arresting, hard-hitting film. It singles out its portrayal of London’s underbelly as its defining strength. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/urchin-review-2025) ## Los Angeles Times — Glenn Whipp Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2025. Whipp finds Dickinson’s debut assured and deeply compassionate, establishing him as a filmmaker to watch. He especially praises Frank Dillane’s convincing, complex performance, while noting that the dreamy interludes feel unnecessary. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-10-09/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-frank-dillane-london-homeless) ## Slant Magazine — William Repass Rating 3/4. 6 October 2025. The critic finds the film largely avoids sentimental or simplistic treatment, though it sometimes seems to fall back on cliché. He praises its self-aware exploration of representation and the artist’s fraught relationship with a character. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/urchin-review-harris-dickinson/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2025. Festival review. Lodge finds Dickinson’s debut compassionate and sharply effective, though it makes no easy promises about recovery. He particularly praises Frank Dillane’s revealing performance and the film’s deft shifts between everyday comedy and anxiety. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-1236402310/) ## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2025. Festival review. The headline presents the film as an elevated study of addiction, suggesting a positive verdict. The accessible text offers no further details about what the critic singles out. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-directs-an-elevated-study-of-addiction/5204519.article) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2025. The review finds the film flawed but admirable, with a distinctive directorial voice. It praises Frank Dillane’s outstanding performance and Dickinson’s imaginative choices, while noting the predictable trajectory of Michael’s relapse. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/urchin-harris-dickinsons-distinctive-debut-suggests-exciting-career-behind-camera-lies-ahead) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating B-. 17 October 2025. The review calls Urchin a respectable, affecting debut, though its familiar treatment of homelessness limits it. It singles out Frank Dillane’s magnetic, complex lead performance for elevating the film. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/urchin-review) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2025. The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the provided text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/movies/urchin-review-the-vicious-cycle-addiction-and-hope.html) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2025. Festival review. Wise calls the film a nuanced, unexpectedly moving knockout that examines self-destruction without easy answers. He especially praises Frank Dillane’s revelatory performance and the film’s poetic ending. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/05/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-directorial-debut-frank-dillane-cannes-1236395130/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2025. Festival review. The critic calls Dickinson’s debut a breathtaking, deeply humane drama that builds to a devastating finale. Frank Dillane’s delicate, fully embodied performance is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/urchin-review-harris-dickinson/) ## Paste — Brogan Morris Rating 8.0. 10 October 2025. Morris finds the film a powerful, complex work of British social realism. He especially praises Frank Dillane’s nuanced, unshowy performance as Mike. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/urchin/urchin-review-harris-dickinson-frank-dillane-homelessness-london-drama-addiction) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating 7/10. 17 May 2025. Festival review. Kiely finds Dickinson’s debut an impressive, thoughtful contribution to British realism. She especially praises Frank Dillane’s nuanced performance as Mike. [Read the review](https://collider.com/urchin-movie-review-harris-dickinson/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/urchin.md