Georgie (Lola Campbell) is a 12 year old who lives on her own in a London estate after her Mum passed away. The authorities think that she has been taken in by her, non existent, uncle. She funds her existence with a bike theft business she runs with her best mate Ali (Alin Uzun). But then Jason (Harris Dickinson), her estranged father, turns up out of the blue.
For the most part this is a gritty, heart wrenching drama in the style of Ken Loach, with laugh out loud moments. Campbell is brilliant as the tough but ultimately vulnerable child and her burgeoning relationship with Jason is both touching and believable. A lot of credit has to go to writer/director Charlotte Regan, making her feature debut, who has a good eye for the less fashionable parts of London and a great ear for the speech patterns of those who live there.
What did not work for me were the more fanciful parts of the story, such as the mysterious structure that Georgie is building and the talking spiders in her flat.
One of the best British films of 2023.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10