Harris Dickinson & Frank Dillane on Directing, Acting, and the Film 'Urchin'

The Genesis and Development of 'Urchin'

• 💡 The film 'Urchin' was a six-year passion project for writer, director, and star Harris Dickinson, focusing on a character falling through the cracks of a tricky system.
• 🤝 Development involved close collaboration with organizations and individuals with lived experience in prison reform and probation, ensuring a sensitive and realistic portrayal.
• 🎭 Actor Frank Dillane joined the project eight months before filming, collaborating with Dickinson to develop the character of Mike.

Exploring Homelessness and Addiction

• 🎯 The film aims to reject blaming individuals and instead presents a full picture of the difficulty in reassimilation after incarceration or loss of support networks.
• 🧠 Trauma and a sequence of tragic, sometimes mundane, circumstances inform Mike's decisions, highlighting that homelessness can affect anyone.
• ⚠️ Dickinson sought to portray Mike without excessive victimhood or sanitization, balancing the truth of the situation with humor and levity.

The Actor's Perspective on Mike

• 🔑 Dillane was drawn to the role of Mike because it offered a complex character with meaty themes to explore, something he felt passionately about.
• 🌟 The character of Mike is not generic; he represents the humanity and dignity that can be overlooked in individuals facing hardship.
• 🛍️ A scene where Mike tries on a sweater and loafers symbolizes a moment of dignity, self-worth, and the simple joy of feeling good about oneself, even with limited means.

Directorial Approach and Challenges

• 🎬 Dickinson's background as an actor made him an "actor's director," fostering a collaborative environment where he could deeply understand and support his actors' processes.
• 🏃‍♂️ The film was shot in a challenging 28-day period across 36 locations, requiring immense crew effort and adaptability to last-minute changes and lost locations.
• 🧠 Surreal and trippy visual elements were incorporated to represent coping mechanisms and the departure from absolute reality, reflecting the psychological impact of trauma.

Hopes for Audience Reception

• ❤️ The ultimate hope for 'Urchin' is to humanize individuals often overlooked and to resist the dangerous impulse to dehumanize those who seem different.
• 🤝 The film aims to show that Mike is not an 'other' but a reflection of shared humanity, emphasizing that