Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut is a trippy one.

I met Harris Dickinson a few years ago at a screening of “The Iron Claw,” and I think he’s an amazing young actor. His directorial debut of “Urchin” is now proof that he’s a brilliant filmmaker. He shows the life of a homeless junkie, and whether or not he can thrive over his reality, and he does like to use the side effects of whatever the main protagonist is on to show us some visual ideas.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect before I watched this movie, other than Dickinson’s name as the filmmaker, and I’m not completely sure if I get everything out of “Urchin.” But as I watched it, I acknowledge that there can be possibilities within to boost the young actor’s career up a bit. And yet, he never oversells himself.

The story is set in London, and the young homeless junkie is named Mike (Frank Dillane), who is caught in the cycles of his own behavior. He wanders around asking for money, he sleeps in restaurants to charge his phone and then getting kicked out, and he lets his addiction get the best of him. Dickinson also Hitchcocks himself as another addict named Nathan, who is basically a frenemy to Mike. Sometimes, they fight over him stealing Mike’s wallet, and other times, they talk, but not very much. At this rate, I like to think of him as Kevin Smith directing “Clerks” and playing Silent Bob in that film.

As the movie opens, Mike steals a watch from a kindhearted man named Simon (Okezie Morro), despite the fact that he offered to help him out a bit. After spending months in jail for the crime, he try to be readjusted to society. He must go to rehab, get jobs, and reconnect with people. This is the part where we would say: “Good Luck” in either an honest or cynical fashion. How you would say it or view the person is up to you.

He starts working in a restaurant, which doesn’t work out for him. And then, he gets back to his old job picking up litter in the park, where he manages to score with the French worker and would-be businesswoman Andrea (Megan Northam). I guess this is where his cycle kicks in or so forth.

“Urchin” also likes to go for the surreal genre, as it’s often difficult for us to tell if Max is in reality or a drug trip. At one scene, he watches a guy dancing, and in another scene, he’s literally thrown into oblivion. It’s an interesting-sometimes confusing-film that allows Dillane to excel as an actor and Dickinson on opposite sides of the camera. There’s a lot to think about here, and I’m not sure how audiences will take it, but it’s different in a good way.

Dillane’s acting credits include “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “In the Heart of the Sea.” I knew that name was familiar, but I didn’t really recognize him before. But I’m glad “Urchin” gave me another chance to see him. We can sympathize with his turmoil, but we can’t really support his decisions. He’s a person with moral conflicts, and it’s a really interesting character examination, as well as a fine performance from him.

With the cinematography by Josee Deshaies (“The Beast,” “Saint Laurent”) and editing by Rafael Torres Calderón (“Rodeo”), “Urchin” captures the look and feel of this person stuck in poverty and addition. It can be fuzzy or trippy, and it can do a lot of things to slowly view the main character’s life. It’s more of an examination than a study, so we’re not 100% what to think of it. But we just see the movie for what it wants to be.

In Select Theaters This Friday