This interesting first feature by British writer-director Charlotte Regan won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film festival.
Georgie (beautifully played by newcomer Lola Campbell) is a resourceful, independent 12 year old who lives alone in the London home she grew up in.
Grieving the death of her single parent mother who has taught her how to look after herself, she has managed to avoid confrontation with the authorities by convincing them she is being taken care of by a non-existent uncle called Winston Churchill.
Stealing bikes which are sold for scrap with her best friend Ali (Alin Uzun) provides the money to get by.
One day a man with dyed blonde hair called Jason (Harris Dickinson, Triangle of Sadness, ) aged about 30, climbs over the back fence and announces he is her father.
He knows that she is living alone and tells her that he will inform the authorities unless she lets him stay with her. He has returned from Spain where he lived after leaving her mother when George was born.
Georgie is resistant to his efforts to form a bond between them, but the uneasy relationship gradually develops into trust and an understanding of one-another.
The film is uneven at times, and the dialogue sometimes hard to follow, but the humour, vitality, vibrant colours, and witty discourse will please many viewers.
84 minutes.
Now showing at Luna Leederville.
Watch the trailer…
