Scrapper – REVIEW
Image: Harris Dickinson and Lola Campbell in SCRAPPER. Image: film still
Scrapper is a small British comedy drama that won’t win any awards or won’t even make a ripple at the box office, but it’s a genuine feel good film that stands proudly aside from all the blockbusters.
It’s the story of Georgie, a 12 year old girl who lives alone in a unit. Her mother has passed away and she is extremely independent, finding solace in her young male companion.
Out of the blue her father Jason returns stating that he wants to get to know his daughter. Georgie retaliates as her independence is threatened. At this point she becomes a scrapper – official definition being ‘a person who fights or struggles against something, or to do something.’
Over time can there be new beginnings for them with the possibility of a real father/daughter relationship? Throughout his life Jason has run away from his responsibilities – will he stay around long enough to face his biggest responsibility yet?
Georgie is described by her mother as a “one of a kind proper little weirdo” and that’s exactly how young actress (with a bright future) Lola Campbell portrays her. Underneath the tough exterior lies a sad child who grieves for her mother.
“I can raise myself” she states, providing for herself by stealing bikes, but her friend asks, can she continue to live alone?
Harris Dickinson, who recently starred in Triangle of Sadness, plays Jason, the father who confesses to his daughter that he was too young and immature for marriage, let alone raising a child.
This is a movie with a big heart. It’s funny and poignant at times with themes of friendship, grief, importance of family and reconnection resonating throughout.
The script is astutely written with an even balance of humour and emotion. Audiences may become teary when young Georgie tells her father: “Now that I know you I can’t not know you. You won’t replace mum but I need someone…”
There’s sweetness in the last scenes but no sugar coating. Once the movie has ended moviegoers may ponder whether this rekindled father/daughter bond realistically has longevity, as both characters admit they’ll most definitely “mess up a lot” in trying to build a relationship.
✭✭✭1/2
In Cinemas September 14
