Wicker - Review: A Tisket, A Tasket, A Very Sexy Basket

 

Love can be found in any corner of the world, and that is a wonderful thing. Any person can fall for any other person and often times the tales of how they fell in love make for moving films and examples of the power of romance. Love can also provide a cautionary tale for many a person, and it's the subject of many many fables like "The Wicker Husband" by author Ursula Wills. That fable serves as the basis for writer/director Alex Huston Fischer ("Save Yourselves!") and Eleanor Wilson's ("Save Yourselves!") quirky, sexy take on a romantic fable that proves to be quite attractive in its own right.

"Wicker" follows the Fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman ("The Favourite," "The Night Manager"), who lives out her life as an aging spinster amongst her towns happily married couples. One day, she asks the Basket Weaver, played by Peter Dinklage ("Game of Thrones," "Death at a Funeral"), to make her a husband of her own. Much to her surprise, not only does he agree, but the Wicker Husband, played by Alexander Skarsgård ("True Blood," "The Northman"), he builds proves to be a living thing. He quickly makes the Fisherwoman's life better, much to the chagrin of the rest of the townsfolk, including the jealous Tailor's Wife, played by Elizabeth Debecki ("The Crown," "Tenet").

Fischer and Wilson keep the tone of this tale sweet and spicy in equal measures, and it gives the entire project a very lighthearted appeal. This is very much a fable, with a moral quandary in its third act and characters that fit into very tight archetypes. However, they never let that hold the script back; it lightly pokes fun at the very conventions that it's playing in and manages to establish real drama between each character. For a film as silly as this in its base premise, it's kind of a miracle that Fischer and Wilson are able to foster genuine connection to each character and their stories, regardless of what they're made of. The film also manages to be sexy without feeling perverted, keeping each characters desires at the forefront and letting the Fisherwoman and other women have a clear sense of agency. The way it deconstructs the sexual politics of the town is delicate, but also biting and silly. It's purposefully horny, one might say.

Colman plays these kinds of roles flawlessly, and the Fisherwoman is no different. She knows what level of serious and silly to be at each moment, how to mix the two together, and how to just revel in the drama. She's effortlessly charming and makes for a delightful lead. Opposite her, Skarsgård completely gives himself over to a role as physical and endearing as the Wicker Husband. He takes things completely seriously, often acting as the straight man in numerous scenarios while the Fisherwoman or the rest of the town goes crazy around him. Debecki gets a bit less to do, but is a remarkably compelling antagonist and likely the most complex character of the bunch. Dinklage rounds things out as a comedic side character who proves to be as interesting as he is mostly due to Dinklage himself. As he paces back and forth, citing borderline Shakesperean monologues to himself, the mystique around him grows, but remains in the background so as not to overshadow the rest of the characters. The surrounding cast all keep things light and frothy, providing plenty of comedic bits throughout. It's a who's-who of character actors, and each excels.

Everything is awash in a warm glow, with a sunny atmosphere that comes somewhere between 1970s Hollywood production and historical reenactment. No one attempts to keep to old English dialogue or keeps truly accurate accents. It's a very loose atmosphere, which again ties back to its origins and identity as a fable. The look of the film might be fairly straightforward, but cinematographer Lol Crawley ("The Brutalist," "The Devil All The Time") keeps things just askew enough to match the rest of the film's energy. On a technical side, for as simple as the film might look, the Wicker Husband himself is a true feat of practical effects and engineering. Scenes go by where the Husband will move and act, with Skarsgård clearly inside the suit, but sunlight shines through the holes in the wicker, as if there's nothing inside but air. It's a simple but borderline mind-boggling effect that sells the magical act at the center of the film's events. Enough cannot be said at how seamless it looks.

"Wicker" is a simple fable, but one that executed quite fantastically. Coleman and Skarsgård are perfect together, and the silly nature of it all never wears away. It's effective character drama, dressed up in period strife and magic to craft a unique romance that's heartwarming and sexy in equal measures. Definitely a surprise of the year, not only in how sweet it is as its core, but how genuinely romantic it ends up being by the end. 4.5/5