Story

Twelve-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) has lived on her own since the death of her mother. She looks after herself and takes care of the flat by stealing bikes to make money, while also conning the authorities into believing that she is living with her uncle. When her estranged father Jason (Harris Dickinson) suddenly shows up to care for her, it sends Georgie’s life into a spin and brings up some issues that she had long since buried away. Her friend Ali (Alin Uzun) has always been there to support her but when he begins to see the good in Jason, a little rift arises. Will Georgie continue holding on to her mother in every way that she can, or will she slowly learn to let go of the grief and to trust her friends, along with those who have previously let her down?

Themes

Death of a parent from cancer; parental abandonment; dysfunctional relationships; a child trying to make it on her own; bridging the gap between life and death; the grieving process; petty theft; questionable role models

Violence

Scrapper has some violence. For example:

• Jason screams at Georgie in an aggressive way when she does something he does not appreciate.
• Jason tries to help Georgie steal bikes but they are noticed by police officers and then chased.
• Georgie attacks a girl, pushing her down and repeatedly punching her in the face. The girl is later shown to be badly bruised.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Scrapper.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no substance use in Scrapper.

Nudity and sexual activity

Scrapper has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, Georgie and her male friend Ali have a sleepover and they both share Georgie’s bed, though nothing sexual happens.

Product placement

Scrapper has some product placement, including Dagenham Motors and West Ham United Football Club.

Coarse language

Scrapper has some coarse language. For example, ‘bloody’, ‘flipping’, ‘Jesus’, ‘Mother Mary’ and ‘Christ’. Name calling and insults include ‘weirdo’, ‘stupid’, and ‘idiot’, and ‘shut up’. Crude behaviour includes the rude finger being shown.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Scrapper is a charming British drama that shines a light on some of the underserved and under-resourced parts of English society. The movie is set in a low socio-economic area and features excellent performances from its lead characters, especially young Georgie. Because of its mature themes, the movie is best suited to teens and older audiences.

These are the main messages of Scrapper:

• Grief can come in many forms and be processed in many ways.
• Everyone is capable of change.
• It really does take a village to raise a child.

Values in Scrapper that you could reinforce with your children are self-sufficiency, ingenuity, courage, independence, and responsibility.

Scrapper could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like these:

• Stealing from others.
• Holding grudges.
• Expressing emotion with violence and causing physical harm.
• Lying to the authorities as well as to parents.