“Scrapper” starts in a dreary English flat with a child all alone but not incapable. That seems to be the M.O. for Georgie (Lola Campbell), who is quiet initially through the opening scene. But that, of course, changes as we get to know her better throughout the movie. Directed by Charlotte Regan (“Standby”), “Scrapper” dives into the carefully constructed composure of a child who just lost her mother and has to deal with that new reality. At the same time, Jason (Harris Dickinson), her long-lost father, disrupts all of that. And it does a lovely job of doing so from her imaginative, yet not always idealistic, point of view. 
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Off the bat, it’s quite evident that Georgie is a very methodical child, starting her day by checking off different stages of grief on a sign that’s on the wall. Before we even know why she’s living alone or who she could be grieving, we know that she’s someone who isn’t going to dwell on things, even if a 12-year-old should. And that continues. She’s very matter-of-fact, cool, and confident and tries not to let anything phase her. She’s running a bike-stealing scheme with her best friend Ali (Alin Uzun), and she’s a bit of a hustler (or trying to be). 
This resolve of Georgie’s is also prevalent in how she finessed her way into living alone after her mother died. She’s 12, so of course, she needs a guardian with her. However, she fakes phone calls using voice recordings with social workers, and she doctors form to convince them her “uncle,” Winston Churchill, is taking care of her. The adults around her — at school or in the social system — don’t care enough to check. Plus, they’re depicted as pretty dimwitted in funny testimonial-like scenes that give a bit of context to the story. However, if this is all a part of Georgie’s perspective, it’s possible these are just caricatures of the authority figures around her, which is still just as illuminating.
On that note, “Scrapper” mixes realistic scenes that make up the majority of the film and breaks those up with vibrant, snappy bits of imaginative, quippy shots. There’s a scene where Ali and Georgie are trying to figure out if Jason, her father who’s finally come around after 12 years, is a nefarious being, such as a vampire or a gangster. And it cuts to shots of Jason at a corner table of the restaurant they’re in, dressed as these different options. There are those testimonial interviews mentioned above as well, which also involve the neighborhood girls in pink, who give off a very pre-teen “Mean Girls” vibe.
These asides give the film a lively sentiment in an otherwise gray U.K. setting. These imaginative bursts better illustrate what is going on in Georgie’s head and expertly show just how she sees things. It’s not distracting when it definitely could be and instead works with who the character is and the fact that we’re seeing this story from her perspective.
Again, all of Georgie’s meticulous scheming and independence is thrown out of wack when her father, Jason, shows up all of a sudden. Of course, it’s because she’s now alone after her mother died, but he is obviously very ill-equipped to deal with a 12-year-old girl who also wants absolutely nothing to do with him. And this is where the heart of the film starts to form. Georgie doesn’t want him around — the movie opens with the adage “It takes a village to raise a kid,” which is crossed out, and “I can raise myself” is scribbled under it — and she is rightfully skeptical of a dude who didn’t come around for the first 12 years of her life. It’s clear from the beginning that Jason knows he’s in over his head, but he is pretty genuine (yet still terrified) in his desire to take care of her. There isn’t any loving emotion at first, though; it’s very much a sense of duty. 
But as he continues to stay at the house and tries more and more with Georgie, her walls start to fall, and we can see her begin to lean into him. Georgie isn’t gullible, and she’s understandably not trusting of any adult. But “Scrapper” shows an endearing bond starting to form. The two of them have a similar sense of humor, and they can be silly together once Georgie gets more comfortable with him. It’s not until later in the movie, though, that Jason fully grasps how much Georgie isn’t dealing with the reality of her mom’s death. Despite the fact that she’s very smart and is using a checklist on the stages of grief, Georgie is not confronting this tragedy head-on. 
“Scrapper” shows that this little, capable girl can still open herself up to her father, especially when she finally admits, “I don’t need you to replace mum, but I do need someone.” Watching Georgie embrace what’s making her vulnerable and realizing that doesn’t make her powerless is moving, and seeing this father and daughter connect is sweet. She, of course, will never let go of her fast-talking, hustling nature, but she now doesn’t have to do it alone.  [B+]
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