Indeed, each of the five 2026 nominations for the BAFTA best film award can be found in the Oscars’ best picture race – and this has been the case for the last 10 years (excluding I, Daniel Blake in 2017 and The Mauritanian in 2020).
Instead, what BAFTA seemingly prefers is to squirrel away its bold artistic acknowledgements to one table signposted ‘outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer’. But, even then, the finest artistic endeavours of the previous year shouldn’t expect a seat. Case in point — Harris Dickinson’s staggering directorial debut feature, Urchin.
Mike (Frank Dillane) is the dynamo at the centre of Dickinson’s modern fable, a young homeless man who finds himself in prison early on in the story before spending the rest of the film constantly trying to atone for his wrongdoings.
A sensitive and intelligent individual, Mike’s chances of triumph seem hopeful at first, finding a job at a shabby but popular hotel, with the support of rehabilitation services who help to put him up in accommodation.
On the precipice of self-actualisation, Mike merely needs the support to facilitate flight, but rigid governmental structures and his own self-destructive capriciousness lead him to tragedy.
Dillane’s physical performance is certainly a reason for this, with every skeletal shift and mini solo boogie in his apartment releasing an ache of repressed emotion. But, he’s also a fantastically well-realised character, brought to life by Dickinson’s meticulously layered screenplay that doesn’t reduce the character down to bored tropes.
Having worked at the volunteer-led charity Under One Sky before making the film, the director told Radio Times last year that the project came from his "own sort of proximity to people that were dealing with cyclical behaviour – rather than just addiction and homelessness".
Aiming to explore "someone [who is a] similar age to me, kind of battling against themselves and testing the audience's level of tolerance for someone who's making difficult decisions and isn't always likeable", Dickinson purposefully asserted that "homelessness is the backdrop, rather than the main point for me".
View Green Video on the source websiteIn conjunction with his authentic tale, Dickinson imprints originality too, with dreamlike sequences taking us down the hallways of Mike’s volatile psyche, which, more often than not, is a tranquil idyll he cannot seem to permanently inhabit.
Simply put, the film is a vivid artistic expression that carves the debutant out as more than just ‘the guy who’s soon to play John Lennon’, and instead a singular voice in British cinema.
Indeed, Urchin went so far as to win the FIPRESCI at Cannes, an award to honour original and daring cinematic feats – yet BAFTA prefers to conservatively cling to conformity.
Surely, one of the best picture nominees that BAFTA borrowed from the Academy could be replaced by a British triumph in the best film category? Or, better still, how about BAFTA expand the category like their American counterpart to include 10 instead of five nominees, so that Hollywood powerhouses could rightfully sit side-by-side with modern British classics.
Urchin is currently available to stream on BFI Player.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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