SCRAPPER
SCRAPPER
Georgie loses her mum at a young age and decides to live independently without outside help. She brushes off social care, earns a living, earns money and performs household chores. Her harmonious world is disrupted by the arrival of her biological father, whom she had not known previously.
Child protagonists have never had it easy in British cinema: from the abused Billy in KES by Ken Loach, through Harry Potter to Sophie in AFTERSUN, who cannot afford to grow up at the pace of Peter Pan.
Joining this group is Georgie (Lola Campbell) from the heartwarming coming-of-age film directed by Charlotte Regan. The determined twelve-year-old unexpectedly loses her mother and must sort out her life in the suburbs of London. She clearly states that she doesn't need anyone's help except for her friend Ali (Alin Uzun), her partner in bike theft, and a salesman who lends his voice to Georgie's imaginary uncle named...Winston Churchill.
The girl cleans, cooks, washes up, pays bills - in short, she has to grow up faster than the average teenager. The harmony in her life is disrupted by Jason (Harris Dickinson), her biological father, whom she has never met. The man turns out to be more of a burden to Georgie than a responsible parent, but he doesn't give up on creating a bond with her and enabling her to return to being a child.
Regan's film is full of sincere humor that softens the overwhelming theme of grief after a deceased parent. It also tries to find a balance to adulthood, thrust by being orphaned and maintaining a childlike spirit. The film does not judge its characters but allows them to function in unconventional ways, keeping the classroom context in mind. SCRAPPER has won the hearts of both young and adult viewers, as evidenced by the European Young Audience Award and the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize.
Michał Sołtysek
