This weekend’s films

“Urchin”, a bold debut from Harris Dickinson

Now showing: the debut film by the well-known British actor and the animated film Wildwood

by Andrea Chimento

23 October 2026

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3' min read

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Versione italiana

Key points

Frank Dillane’s performance
Wildwood

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A debut film that leaves no one indifferent: that’s how one might sum up *Urchin*, this weekend’s headline release and the directorial debut of the well-known actor Harris Dickinson.

Starring in Ruben Östlund’s *Triangle of Sadness* (Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival) and appearing in films such as *The Warrior – The Iron Claw’ and “Babygirl”, as well as set to play John Lennon in the Beatles tetralogy currently being developed by Sam Mendes, Dickinson has become a major name in recent years, frequently portraying handsome and seductive male characters.

For this reason, too, it is striking that he decided to step behind the camera with such a risky film, for which he really had to ‘get his hands dirty’ to tell a story that is anything but simple or sugar-coated: at the heart of the story is Mike, a homeless man surviving on the streets of London, scarred by a difficult past and trapped in a vicious circle of self-destruction. His daily life consists of odd jobs and petty theft, until an arrest and imprisonment force him to stop and reflect on his life. On his release from prison, with the help of social services, Mike tries to start all over again to rebuild a dignified life for himself, but every step towards a fresh start is met with tangible and invisible obstacles. His old habits, unresolved traumas, addictions and the harshness of a world that does not always offer a helping hand are always there.

Presented in the ‘Un certain regard’ section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, “Urchin” is a film about a journey towards redemption, powerfully depicting human fragility and the desire for change.

“Urchin” e gli altri film della settimana
Photogallery4 foto

Frank Dillane’s test

Whilst it must be noted that the film does fall into a few stereotypes, the narrative nevertheless manages to engage the viewer thanks to Dickinson’s ability to portray, in an intimate and delicate manner, a character who is anything but straightforward to portray.

It may well be down to the director’s sensitivity as an actor, but one of the standout qualities of “Urchin” is undoubtedly the performance of the lead actor, Frank Dillane (who won the Best Actor award in his section at Cannes), known to the general public for his portrayal of Tom Riddle in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, who demonstrates in “Urchin” a talent rarely seen in his previous film work.

Dickinson’s talent behind the camera is still a little raw, but both in terms of his direction of the cast and his ability to blend the realism of the story with several imaginative directorial touches, this new director nevertheless shows a sure hand and will undoubtedly be a voice to watch as his career progresses.

Wildwood

Another highlight of the weekend is undoubtedly *Wildwood: The Secrets of the Forbidden Forest*, the new animated feature film from Laika, the production company behind films such as *Coraline* and *ParaNorman*.

Directed by Travis Knight, who previously directed “Kubo and the Two Strings”, the film tells the story of Prue McKeel, a resourceful teenager who, when her little brother is kidnapped by a flock of crows, embarks on a desperate rescue mission into the Impenetrable Wilderness, an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland, Oregon.

Together with her schoolmate Curtis Mehlberg – as clumsy as he is loyal – Prue journeys through a world inhabited by talking animals, outlaws and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.

Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis, the film is a superb stop-motion animated feature, which sees Laika return to the glory days of *Coraline*, both for its aesthetic beauty and for the depth of a story rich in adventure and mystery.

A running time of 132 minutes might seem daunting for a film of this kind, but miraculously the viewing experience never really flags; on the contrary, it remains thoroughly engaging from start to finish. The result is so impressive that it could well become a favourite in the race for the major awards, including Best Animated Feature Film.