Charlotte Regan’s funny and heartfelt debut feature Scrapper is a tough talking, but sweet natured crowd pleaser about a little girl and an emotionally stunted man-child trying to make a go of things on their own.
12 year old Georgie (Lola Campbell) recently lost her mother and has been secretly living on her own. While she’s been telling everyone she lives with her uncle now, Georgie has actually been scraping by in mum’s old apartment and making ends meet by selling scrap with her best friend, Ali (Alin Uzun). Her plans to coast under the radar are slowly falling apart, and the resurfacing of Jason, the long absent father she never met, proves both a blessing and a curse. Jason (Triangle of Sadness star Harris Dickson) was asked by Georgie’s mom to go away, and has spent the past decade or so partying with his mates on the beaches of Spain. He wants to get to know his daughter, but she’s not having it.
Campbell is perfectly cast as an old soul in a child’s body, and her chemistry with Dickson’s dopey, yet resourceful slacker helps to build a realistic bond in an otherwise standard feel good romp. Regan’s background as a music video director gives Scrapper a lot of visual, youthful energy, and the use of London’s more economically downtrodden locations is impeccable. Scrapper is bogged down someone by faux-documentary sections that don’t add much or lead anywhere interesting, but at just a shade under 85 minutes, Regan’s film also never comes close to wearing out its charming welcome.
Originally screened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Scrapper screens as part of the 2023 TIFF Next Wave Festival on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 6:30pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, featuring an in person Q&A with director Charlotte Reagan.
Click here for a clip from Scrapper.
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