Scrapper

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

(Mauro Lanari) If it isn't a simple remake of "Paper Moon" from half a century later, the credit goes to this almost thirty-year-old female debutant director and writer. "She comes from music videos": so what? If that always guaranteed such skill, the number of masterpieces from the birth of MTV onwards would be uncountable. "Scrapper" is "packed full of ideas" (Wendy Ide) because Charlotte Regan reminds us what a true indie film is and not a mainstream surrogate. There's nothing predictable in her magical realism: every shot, dialogue, and scene is an unexpectedly disconcerting surprise, from the colorful urban outskirts to the imaginative constructions to bear the mourning, from the working-class portrayed avoiding Loachian exasperations to the constant irony that blunts any dramatic hint. Wide-open ending: the two protagonists humbly admit their mutual flaws ("I'm going to mess up a lot, though." "So will I." "Okay.") and accept the challenge of coexistence without certainties of success. The international awards and accolades are well-deserved.

IN A NUTSHELL: This is the debut for both the director, Charlotte Regan, and her leading young lady, Lola Campbell. They both did a great job! Already, the film has been nominated for various awards and won Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival! THINGS I LIKED: Lola Campbell is brilliant, as the British like to say. She’s a true natural. One thing that’s interesting about her character is that she wears a hearing aid, yet it’s never mentioned in the story. It’s a subtle way of showing that handicaps don’t have to define us. I searched online but couldn’t verify whether or not Lola wears a hearing aid in real life or if it was just part of the character’s life. Cast members will be mostly unfamiliar to American viewers: Lola Campbell, Alin Uzun, Ambreen Razia, Oliva Brady, and Aylin Tezel. The face you’ll probably recognize is that of Harris ****, whom you might recognize from Triangle of Sadness or See How They Run The magic of the storytelling is the chemistry between father and daughter who both struggle in various ways and discover the power of family, even if it is dysfunctional. The humor is subtle and quirky. The color palette is bright, despite the characters’ gloomy financial prospects. It makes the movie look almost like a modern-day fairy tale. Occasionally, there are random clips inserted inside scenes. Some have compared that style to that of popular Wes Anderson. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: So many big, icky spiders in the movie! EEK! Some viewers may find it difficult to understand the thick accents. The plot seems a bit unrealistic. TIPS FOR PARENTS: A young girl lives alone after her single mother dies A girl steals bikes to earn money Some profanity A girl hits another girl and knocks her down on the ground