‘Scrapper’ Movie Review [Sundance 2023]: Lola Campbell and Harris Dickinson Charm in a Lovely Father-Daughter Story
The Sundance Film Festival is known for bringing quirky indie stories to the silver screen, and the year 2023 is no different. Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper introduces a darling feature film with personality and heart in spades. A simple, yet sincere father-daughter story is further elevated by grounded performances that feel thoroughly genuine.
‘Scrapper’ follows the sudden appearance of an estranged father
A resourceful 12-year-old girl named Georgie (Lola Campbell) lives all by herself in a London-outskirts flat after her mother died. She fooled each part of the system, including the social workers, into thinking that she’s living with a nonexistent uncle. Meanwhile, Georgie is working with her friend, Ali (Alin Uzun), to steal bikes to make a living.
One day, her father, Jason (Triangle of Sadness‘ Harris Dickinson), shows up out of the blue, instantly picking up on the game that she’s playing. However, it’s been so long since they’ve seen each other, Georgie doesn’t even recognize him. Georgie questions Jason’s intentions after he suddenly decides to return back into her life, believing that she doesn’t need an adult to help her.
Independence and loneliness
Scrapper opens with the quote that “It takes a village to raise a child,” but Regan immediately retorts back that “I can raise myself, thanks.” Georgie is an emotionally and physically independent girl, developing her own system to keep herself afloat. She’s familiar with the person she sells stolen bikes to, as well as the store employees. Georgie finds a way to use voice recordings to trick the social workers into believing that they’re speaking with her fictional uncle.
Refusing to take any handouts, Georgie learned the value of hard work and keeping a tidy home. Regan’s screenplay cuts away to non-narrative characters who break the fourth wall to address the audience to provide a greater picture of the protagonist. Georgie initially appears to like her life the way it is, but she’s missing out on her own childhood. With no parents in her life, she’s forced to take on the role of an adult.
When Jason shows up, Georgie naturally questions his intentions. Nothing initially appears to have sparked his return, but his threats of telling the social workers that she’s living alone leave her with no choice but to let him stay. Scrapper demonstrates a father trying to rekindle a relationship with his daughter, as the closest thing she has to a parent is the smartphone with old videos of happier times with her mother. But, through Jason, Georgie has the opportunity to learn about a side of her mother that she never knew.
‘Scrapper’ is an absolute joy
Regan infuses visual whimsy to compliment her quirky Scrapper screenplay. There are moments where the cutaways pull from the fluid pacing, but the aesthetically wonder-filled moments are artful and meaningful. Georgie already acts like an adult in many practical ways, although these scenes tell the audience that she still very much has the mind and imagination of a creative 12-year-old.
She unfairly had her world taken away with the death of her mother, which her father can never replace. However, there are incredibly tender scenes between Jason and Georgie that hit the emotional sweet spot, such as his having to explain what the Tooth Fairy is and what the mythology is behind her. In a way, the film is about the restoration of childhood.
Campbell is infectious as Georgie, finding the space in between her childlike wonder and her adult sensibilities she was forced to learn. Meanwhile, Dickinson is absolutely stellar as Jason, landing every emotional beat. Scrapper is the equivalent of a warm hug, sneakily constructing characters that are easy to care for.
