SCRAPPER |
★★★★½
31 July 2023
A movie review of SCRAPPER.
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Director: Charlotte Regan.
Starring: Lola Campbell, Harris Dickinson, Alin Uzun, Ambreen Razia, Cary Crankson, Olivia Brady.
“Who is David Beckham?” Ali (Alin Uzun)
A cheeky nod to another endearing Brit flick, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM [2002], or a joke at kids not even knowing they’re born? So many movies would benefit from an ambiguous or downbeat finale, but you are willing SCRAPPER to have a happy conclusion. A lot of cinema strives for positivity, but the feel-good needs stakes, must be genuine, and the leads’ fortunes potentially turning on a dime. SCRAPPER is heartfelt in the best possible way. An excellent debut from writer-director Charlotte Regan and lead Lola Campbell.
Starring: Lola Campbell, Harris Dickinson, Alin Uzun, Ambreen Razia, Cary Crankson, Olivia Brady.
“Who is David Beckham?” Ali (Alin Uzun)
A cheeky nod to another endearing Brit flick, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM [2002], or a joke at kids not even knowing they’re born? So many movies would benefit from an ambiguous or downbeat finale, but you are willing SCRAPPER to have a happy conclusion. A lot of cinema strives for positivity, but the feel-good needs stakes, must be genuine, and the leads’ fortunes potentially turning on a dime. SCRAPPER is heartfelt in the best possible way. An excellent debut from writer-director Charlotte Regan and lead Lola Campbell.
The odds are stacked against most of us, but the lead even more so here. Georgie (Lola Campbell) is 12-years-old and all alone. Her loving mother, Vicky (Olivia Brady), has just died. Georgie is resourceful and bolshy. She pretends she has an uncle, to keep teachers and the social at bay. The audience wonders how long her ruse can be sustained. No adult relatives in view, it is tragically easy to be isolated. SCRAPPER is tense, but far from dour. Georgie and her bud Ali are a comedy double-act. Georgie’s force of personality impresses. That she has not crumbled in grief is a wonder. Her private anguish is not shared with others. Unwitnessed, she cries while watching videos of her mother. Georgie’s bereavement has also manifested in an unusual project.
School is out for the summer, and we first see a house-proud Georgie vacuuming her home. Georgie calls stealing bikes, “going out for work”. While obviously not condoning, the story looks at the act as desperation. In a scene opposite to THE WOLF OF WALL STREET [2013], she sweetly tries to out-negotiate a local reseller, Zeph (Ambreen Razia). The revenue covers food, but does not seem enough for utilities and rent. An unspoken timer seems to be ticking down.
The lead wears a hearing aid. There is brilliantly no mention of it by anyone throughout the film. SCRAPPER is not kitchen sink drudgery. There are stylised camera moves whipping around the estate she lives, as we witness Georgie and Ali “at work’. I’ll leave you to enjoy the talking spiders. Added into the mix are faux-documentary asides, where those that know the lead speak about her to an unseen interviewer. Amongst the often playful tone, one interviewee is a heartless teacher, Mr Barrowclough (Cary Crankson). He is dismissive of grief. Barrowclough reminds the audience of what Georgie is up against in this world. Is SCRAPPER gesturing to the cruelty magnified in the U.K. since the Tories came to power in 2010?
The film is chock to the brim with charisma. Enter 30-year-old Jason (Harris Dickinson) over the back fence of the garden. Estranged does not cover his sudden arrival. He is the father she has no recollection meeting. Over the course of SCRAPPER, we wonder at his intentions. Is Jason there as saviour or exploiter? They are awkward around each other, as their bond slowly grows. Will either mess it up? Will either give up on the other? The proceedings are astutely judged emotionality and hilarity.
Likable isn’t easy. SCRAPPER is loveable.