| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Episode Title | Urchin |
| Series | The Little Mermaid (TV series) |
| Season / Episode | Season 1, Episode 4 |
| Original Air Date | September 26, 1992 |
| Main Character Introduced | Urchin — an orphaned merboy |
| Character Traits | Fun‑loving, mischievous, lonely, wants friends |
| Initial Situation | Urchin has fallen in with villains Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp |
| Conflict | Urchin is stealing food and working with bad guys |
| Ariel’s Role | Ariel befriends Urchin and tries to help him change |
| Turning Point | Urchin helps Ariel escape from the villains |
| Heroic Act | He stops Crab Louie from stealing from the royal treasury |
| Outcome | Ariel and Urchin form a friendship |
| Character Lesson | Urchin learns trust and loyalty over mischief |
| First Appearance | This is Urchin’s first appearance in the series |
| Themes | Friendship, belonging, redemption |
Urchin, a British drama from 2025, has been a hit with critics and festival audiences. It’s actor Harris Dickinson’s first time directing a full-length movie. It showed at Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section and got some awards, like the FIPRESCI Prize for Dickinson and Best Actor for Frank Dillane, who plays the main character.
The movie is about Mike, a young homeless man in London. He’s battling addiction and feeling like an outsider. Dillane plays Mike with lots of realness, and you can really feel for him. It is not just some story showing how someone gets saved. It really gets into those times when people mess up a lot and those little moments of hope that keep us going.
Dickinson’s writing and the way he directs doesn’t make Mike’s problems seem cute. The film shows how tough and unpredictable being homeless is, but it does it with understanding. The movie is about Mike dealing with the law, time in jail, or trying to fit back into society with help from a hostel and odd jobs. It’s a very human look at someone trying to find some stability when the world isn’t making it easy.
Critics love how real and emotional the movie is. Rotten Tomatoes gives Urchin a good score because everyone is saying how raw the story is and how Dillane plays Mike so authentically. Metacritic also gives it a thumbs up.
One of the best things about Urchin is that it focuses on the characters instead of just the story. This helps you really connect with what Mike is going through. The film doesn’t wrap things up perfectly. It rolls with the punches alongside addiction and recovery. There are some dreamy moments mixed in with the harsh reality, making the story deeper and reinforcing that life on the streets is a messy, complicated thing.
The other actors, like Megan Northam, Amr Waked, Karyna Khymchuk, and Shonagh Marie, add more to Mike’s world. Showing other people in tough spots, quick friendships, and folks who help or accidentally make things harder.
Urchin isn’t just about surviving a rough time, it makes you think about how we see people, our responsibilities, and the stuff that shapes people’s lives. It doesn’t give you easy answers, but Dickinson’s movie asks you to deal with being uncomfortable and unsure on how to solve the problems. That is what makes this movie memorable.
With “Urchin”, Harris Dickinson comes off as a strong voice in British movies today. The good vibes from Cannes and the critics point to it being a cool addition to films about real-life issues. It puts importance on good acting and storytelling to tell stories that don’t always get told the way they need to be.
