I Didn't Think I Needed You.
★★★★☆
Directed by Charlotte Regan.
After Living alone since her mum died, Georgie is forced to confront reality when her absent father Jason turns up out of the blue.
A stunningly simple and effective debut by Charlotte Regan, Scrapper peers into the life of 12-year-old Georgie who is living alone since her mum died as she tries to piece together what her new life could be all while being forced to grow up in a world of her own creation.
Things take a sharp turn when her absent father played by Harris Dickinson arrives to attempt to make amends and play the parental role he has been running from for years. A film of this scope riles on the talent of its small cast and the script - fortunately, Scrapper passes with flying colours with two touching performances at its centre and a poignant script by Regan.
Lola Campbell is without a doubt the heart and soul of this film. In her first starring role, she manages to encapsulate the emotions of grief, the confusion of sudden change and the whimsy of childhood innocence so effortlessly - she is the catalyst that brings the film together.
The chemistry of the cast as they slowly warm to one another is written so delicately and I love and respect Charlotte Regan's choice to keep things uncomplicated, closing the film before the 90-minute mark rather than pad the film out with unnecessary characters, moments or drama.
Scrapper joins a quickly-evolving list of independent films focusing on tested parent-child relationships while very much having a style and voice of its own to stand apart from those that are narratively similar.
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