There's something almost cruel about watching Harris Dickinson behind the camera instead of in front of it. Here's an actor who's made a career out of being unforgettable in other people's visions—Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw, Babygirl—and now he's stepped away from that reliable paycheck to make… this. Urchin. A film about homelessness that doesn't pity, doesn't preach, and sure as hell doesn't apologize for existing.
The new US trailer dropped, and it's doing something the earlier UK version couldn't quite nail—it's letting Frank Dillane breathe. You remember Dillane, right? Madison's junkie son from Fear the Walking Dead. Kid's got range that most casting directors are too lazy to notice. Here, he's Mike, a rough sleeper navigating London's indifferent concrete maze, and the trailer gives us glimpses of a performance that feels lived-in rather than performed.
“You're going to be just fine… The road is clear, each decision is yours,” someone tells Mike. It's the kind of line that could sound patronizing in the wrong hands. But there's something about Dillane's face—weathered, skeptical, desperately wanting to believe—that makes it land like a prayer instead of a platitude.
When Actors Turn Directors, Usually We Get Vanity Projects
Dickinson's different, though. Maybe it's because he's still hungry, still proving himself. Urchin premiered at Cannes this year, and the word from the Croisette was unanimous: this isn't just another actor playing dress-up behind the camera. This is filmmaking. The confidence is there, sure, but so is the vulnerability. And in a year where every other Cannes entry felt like a thesis statement, Dickinson delivered something that felt… human.
The story follows Mike through a cycle that anyone who's spent time in London's underbelly will recognize. Prison. Rehab. The endless search for work that doesn't exist, housing that costs more than dignity allows. It's territory that could easily slip into poverty porn or social realism clichés, but the trailer suggests Dickinson's found a different angle. Maybe it's the casting—Megan Northam from Meanwhile on Earth appears briefly, and there's something in her interaction with Dillane that suggests layers beyond the obvious.
Or maybe it's just that Dickinson understands performance from the inside out. Watch how he frames Dillane's face. Never romanticizes the damage, never exploits it either. Just… observes. Lets the camera find truth in moments most directors would rush past.
The London That Tourism Boards Don't Show
What strikes you about this trailer—what makes it better than most social issue films—is how it treats London itself as a character. Not the London of Love Actually or Notting Hill, but the London that exists in the spaces between tube stops. Where people disappear into doorways and emerge different. Where survival is an art form most of us never have to learn.
There's a shot in the trailer, maybe two seconds long, of Mike walking past a construction site. Nothing special, right? Except the way Dickinson frames it, you can feel the weight of possibility and impossibility pressing down on the same square of pavement. This is a director who understands that cities aren't backdrops—they're ecosystems.
The supporting cast reads like a who's who of British character actors doing what they do best: disappearing into roles that matter. Diane Axford, Murat Erkek, Moe Hashim—names you might not recognize, but faces you'll remember. It's the kind of casting that signals a director who cares more about truth than marquee value.
October Can't Come Fast Enough
Urchin hits UK theaters October 3rd, with US dates starting October 10th via 1-2 Special. It's the kind of release schedule that suggests confidence tempered with realism—wide enough to find an audience, targeted enough to avoid getting lost in the multiplex shuffle.
Will it find that audience? Hard to say. We live in times when films about homelessness compete with superhero spectacles for screen time. But there's something about Dickinson's approach—the way this trailer promises depth without drowning in its own seriousness—that feels necessary. Essential, even.
Frank Dillane deserves leading roles like this. Harris Dickinson deserves to keep directing. And maybe, if we're lucky, Urchin will remind us why small films about big subjects still matter.
What Makes ‘Urchin' Stand Out From Other Social Issue Films
Dickinson's Actor-Director Advantage
His understanding of performance from both sides of the camera creates space for actors to find truth in moments rather than hitting emotional beats.
Frank Dillane's Powerhouse Lead
The Fear the Walking Dead alumni delivers what looks like a career-defining performance as Mike, finding humanity in desperation without romanticizing poverty.
London as Character, Not Backdrop
The city becomes an active participant in Mike's journey, with locations that feel authentic rather than scouted for maximum visual impact.
Cannes Validation That Actually Matters
Festival premieres often mean nothing, but early word suggests Urchin earned its spot through quality rather than industry politics.
Supporting Cast Built for Truth
Megan Northam, Diane Axford, and company suggest a director who prioritizes authentic chemistry over familiar faces.
Sometimes the films that matter most are the ones that almost didn't get made. Urchin feels like one of those—urgent, necessary, real. October can't come soon enough.
