by Christine Westwood
One is the funny, colourful surface of culturally diverse characters, bright paint-washed locations, the irreverent humour. Then there is the main character herself, 12-year-old Georgie (newcomer Lola Campbell), a vivid life force, seemingly irrepressible. Her young dad Jason (Harris Dickinson) is boyishly handsome, with the same fresh faced and cheeky appeal.
At the heart of Georgie’s story is the character of her young mother who has recently died, leaving Georgie to fend for herself. To avoid being put into foster care, Georgie comes up with the outrageous and resourceful strategy of inventing a fictitious uncle guardian called Winston Churchill. That the social services, neighbours or teachers don’t pick up on it speaks volumes about dislocation, neglect and an overburdened welfare system.
Georgie makes pocket money by stealing bikes, in a savvy streetwise style reminiscent of the Artful Dodger. She keeps house by following her mum’s routines to the letter. And she keeps herself from emotional breakdown by repeat watching iPhone footage of her mum playing with her in happier times.
‘Scrapper’ indeed, delivered in a brave, slapstick style, that counterpoints the tragedy beneath. When her fragile strategies begin to unravel, Georgie’s loss threatens a tidal wave of grief. Enter her father Jason, who left when she was a baby, the result of a teenage fling. In knee length shorts and plain t-shirt, Jason is very much a child himself, well-meaning but clueless.
The stop gap companion before dad turns up is a neighbourhood kid, lanky Indian boy Ali (Alin Uzun), an unquestioning geeky sidekick on the cusp of child and adulthood himself. There are some endearing scenes, with elements of magic realism, where he and Georgie find sanctuary.
Georgie’s childish games also set the pace for Jason, goofing along in an attempt to be there for her. But it takes more than pulling comic faces and playing truant to be a father, especially when your 12-year-old has become necessarily more worldly than you.
Regan told Indiewire that she originally wrote a “Guy Ritchie-esque” film about “a 16-year-old and his nan who have to make money to pay back a local drug dealer that they’re in debt with.” When Regan lost close relatives to Covid, she began to think about grief, and Scrapper was born.
“I started looking into how kids cope with grief, just because I found I was consuming all these adult books about grief and I was like, ‘oh, it’s just too logical, I don’t want to go through the eight stages’. But then when I found stuff about kids’ psychology, that interested me more.”
The deep dive authenticity paid off. Scrapper took home the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize following its premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival.
Regan started directing music videos for local rappers when she was 15 and has directed over 200 low budget music promos. Scrapper is her first feature but her 6 minute short film Standby screened at Toronto International Film Festival 2016 and was nominated for a BAFTA.
Her street style sensibility is utilised for Scrapper’s east end of London locations. Regan joined forces with another female writer director, Molly Manning Walker (upcoming How to Have Sex) who is also an accomplished cinematographer. Walker gives the East End housing estates and train stations a lucid, almost luscious atmosphere, peppered with magic realism moments when characters imaginings come to brief vivid life.
Classed as a Drama/Comedy, Scrapper balances on the edge where there is tenuous hope when hearts and lives are broken.
