Scrapper (2023) (dir. Charlotte Regan)
Last year’s drama, Aftersun, debuted to critical acclaim and garnered a well-deserved Oscar nomination for rising star Paul Mescal. It was my favorite film of last year so suffice to say that movies about complicated parental relationships with their lone offspring will instantly strike a chord with me. Especially when they are grounded in realism and contain multitudes of genuine vulnerability. Scrapper is definitely a higher tier example of the well-observed father/daughter dramedy done with a strong sense of emotional intelligence. It may not tug at the heartstrings in a way that leaves you wrecked by the end (see Aftersun for that), but that’s not what this story is aiming for.
Georgie (Lola Campbell) is a young teen who has been living alone in her flat in a working-class London suburb since the passing of her mother, telling social workers and her school that she lives with a made up uncle, and they believe this despite the fact that the name she gives for this uncle is Winston Churchill. What little money Georgie has to live off she gets by stealing bicycles alongside her only close friend, Ali (Alin Uzun).
One day, her father Jason (Harris Dickinson), a twenty-something slacker who took off to Spain when she was born, shows up and tells Georgie that he knows she is living alone, and he’ll tell the authorities unless she lets him stay at the flat with her. Georgie isn’t interested in reconciliation, and whether Jason deserves a second chance or not, the two have to learn to live together. As the absentee father and the streetwise daughter adapt to their new circumstances, they begin to realize that they are each other’s best chance at learning how to grow up.
Georgie, brilliantly played by newcomer Campbell, truly believes she can live on her own. It’s something my own mom felt she was doing since my grandmother was working 12-hour shifts at various odd jobs to support them. Georgie spends her time watching her mother’s videos on her mobile, climbing a tower she built to reach the sky to meet her mother, and nicking bikes with her best mate Ali to sell to be turned into parts. She also loves her freedom and doesn’t take well to authority figures telling her what to do.
The scene between father and daughter when they are walking on opposite sides of the street, and Dickinson is trying to make her smile by pretending his shoe to be a phone or playing with a dog on the street, and a smile flitting through Campbell’s face, is exceptionally well-done. Those are the moments that bring to mind something like Aftersun - in its effortless blend of melancholy and joy. A slowly developing bond is heartening enough to pull through some sequences, which feel more like improvised skits or little asides. There’s even a documentary technique thrown in throughout that I don’t think entirely works but give credit to filmmaker Charlotte Regan for giving it a go with this mostly confident debut. It brings to mind the work of Mike Leigh or Ken Loach without the dour tone.
Dickinson, a stand-out in last year’s Triangle of Sadness, finds a quiet sadness within father Jason, and you can see something break inside of him when Georgie finally asks: “How come you didn’t want to know me 12 years ago?” Campbell as Georige will also be someone to follow and watch since she finds the right balance of charm and self-reliance without ever being obnoxious or grating. This is definitely a first-time filmmaker since she does try throwing various ideas at the wall to see what sticks but thanks to the cast here, they all stick quite effectively and you become involved and invested as a result.
Coming of age stories involving broken homes or grief are a dime a dozen but there are special ones that make you feel like you instantly feel a part of the world of the people we’ve come to know and love. Most stories contain imperfections and this is no exception but it doesn’t matter. If you have compassion for young people who struggle for relatable reasons, then you’ll likely be on board with father and daughter here regardless. Scrapper may be a bit scrappy itself but the characters here are sure to win you over and you’ll care about where they wind up together in the end.
