Wicker Mixes Crude Fun And Strong Feels
What if someone wrote a biting satire of patriarchy, set in a land of mystical realism much like the Shire? But with lots of cursing and sex. You would get the new movie Wicker, starring Olivia Coleman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage. (OK, there are only humans and the wicker husband, no Hobbits, so maybe more like Breeland?)
Based on the short story “The Wicker Husband” by British author Ursula Wills-Jones (credited as Ursula Wills), the movie has Coleman as the protagonist, the unattractive, limping and smelly Fisherwoman, living on the outskirts of an unnamed village in an unnamed land. After decades of being mocked for her appearance and fishy odor, Coleman — nobody in the movie has a name, just a role title like Barkeep, or a relationship title like Barkeep’s Wife (hey there, patriarchy) so after naming their roles I will use the actors’ names for clarity — asks the Basketmaker (Dinklage) to make her a “wicker husband.” He does, in the form of Skarsgård in amazing prosthetic makeup special effects, designed by Joe Dunckley, whose makeup and effects credits include District 9, Elysium, and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, among others.
The two immediately have a nearly perfect, loving relationship, which doesn’t sit well with the people of the village, and the plot moves forward from there.
While there is lots of crude language and depictions of sex, there is no nudity or particularly graphic sex. Almost nothing is so blatantly depicted as to get it banned from basic cable TV — the language handles that. So, my one spoiler, for anyone of any gender or sexuality hoping for a full frontal of Skarsgård’s wicker dong or Coleman’s MILF boobs, you will be disappointed.
What won’t be disappointing is the acting or the writing. Coleman is her usual wonderful self, deftly capturing the other main theme besides “patriarchy sucks” which is “love is much harder than sex.” Skarsgård continues to show why he is the go-to guy for sensitive hunks in genre movies and shows. Debicki (Tailor’s Wife) is in top villain form, even when the writing shows that her character is definitely the main antagonist, while maybe not a purely evil villain. Dinklage chews up the movie’s only monologues, and is the only character that brings any of the mystical into the mystical realism story. And there is a great small role by the always excellent Richard E. Grant, as Debicki’s father, the Doctor, providing some of the movie’s best funny moments, even when he is not in the scene.
In a tight 105 minutes, screenwriters and co-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson weave complex themes such as the aforementioned patriarchy and challenges of love with others like self-acceptance and society’s reluctance to accept what is different into a film filled with sharp, funny dialogue and cozy, heartfelt moments of true love. It’s not a fast-paced movie, but slow isn’t the right word — maybe languid.
I’m sure some people will be unhappy with the blunt hammer way Wicker portrays patriarchy, but in a world where the Jane Doe Cornell gang rape case is real, the version of patriarchy in the movie is pretty toned down in comparison.
I give Wicker (Escape Plans Productions and seven more; R; 1 hr 45 mins) an 8 out of 10.
