It’s well into the second act of “Urchin,” writer/director Harris Dickinson’s searing portrait of addiction and homelessness in East London, before we see our protagonist, Mike (Frank Dillane) smile for the first time.

Up to this point, we’ve seen Mike at seemingly rock bottom, living a harrowing day-to-day existence on the street. When a good Samaritan tries to buy him a meal, Mike mugs the man for his watch and wallet, then is promptly arrested for the assault. After a prison stay, he works hard to claw his way back into society, assisted by a social worker, living in a hostel temporarily provided by the state, and working as a line cook in a low-rent hotel, where he’s finally, tentatively, making some friends.

As he cautiously joins the hotel receptionist Chanelle (Shonagh Marie) and

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