Scrapper (2023) Film Review

Written by Robbie Fleming of Fright Night Flicks!

Director: Charlotte Regan

Producer: Theo Barrowclough

Scrapper is a BAFTA-nominated British drama written and directed by Charlotte Regan, marking her feature-length directorial debut. Released in 2023, the film follows Georgie (Lola Campbell), a resourceful and imaginative 12-year-old girl who lives contently on her own in a London flat, turning her everyday surroundings into something almost magical. Her world is disrupted when her estranged father (Harris Dickinson) suddenly reappears, forcing her to confront reality and rethink the life she has built for herself.

Upon release, Scrapper received widespread critical acclaim, earning 14 nominations at the

2023 British Independent Film Awards and winning Breakthrough Producer. It was also named one of the National Board of Review’s Top 10 Independent Films of 2023 and received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film.

Chris has kindly offered me a second chance to contribute film reviews to the channel, and I wanted to use this opportunity to highlight smaller independent features that deserve a wider audience and more attention.

Scrapper is a film I had been meaning to watch for a while, and I finally got the chance while it was available on BBC iPlayer. After watching it for the first time, here are my thoughts.

The film reminded me of works like The Florida Project, in the way it presents a gritty realism through a child’s perspective. The story mainly focuses on Georgie before and after she meets her estranged father, Jason, which works well as a coming-of-age narrative. However, I do think the film would have benefited from more of Jason’s perspective, particularly exploring why he stepped away from his previous life and what led him to try and become a father again.

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At just 78 minutes, the film feels quite lean, and I think fleshing out Jason’s character with a subplot prior to his arrival could have added more depth and strengthened the emotional impact overall.

For a first feature, Charlotte Regan directs with real confidence, with stylistic echoes of Ken Loach and Sean Baker. The cinematography is a standout, capturing the child’s-eye perspective and presenting Georgie’s world in a way that balances realism with imagination.

Fun fact: the cinematographer is Molly Manning Walker, who also directed How to Have Sex (2023). Interestingly, both films were nominated for Outstanding British Film at the

BAFTAs, with both losing out to The Zone of Interest.

The production design is also strong, bringing colour and warmth to what is otherwise a very grounded, gritty setting, reflecting how Georgie perceives her world.

The score by Patrick Jonsson is equally effective, supporting the slice-of-life tone while adding a subtle sense of hope throughout Georgie’s journey.

Lola Campbell delivers a very natural and believable performance as Georgie, fully embodying the character in a way that feels authentic and lived-in. If there were a BAFTA category for Best Young Performance, she would have been a strong contender.

Harris Dickinson was one of the main draws for me, and while he delivers a solid performance, the character itself feels underdeveloped. With more depth and writing behind him, his performance could have had even more emotional weight.

Overall, Scrapper is a strong independent film and an impressive directorial debut from Charlotte Regan. While I really enjoyed it, I do feel it left me wanting a little more depth in certain areas.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars