Olivia Colman builds a wicker beau in a bawdy fairy-tale comedy
Wicker stars Olivia Colman as a fish-smelling fisherwoman who commissions a wicker husband from Peter Dinklage's basket weaver, with Alexander Skarsgård playing the wooden partner. The film is a bawdy medieval fairy-tale romcom adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones's short story The Wicker Husband. NME's review calls it a bizarre, Monty Python-like romp with impressive physical comedy.
Directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston, the film draws on Ursula Wills-Jones’s 2008 short story The Wicker Husband and is unrelated to the folk-horror The Wicker Man. Its vaguely medieval English village is shaped by production designer Renátó Cseh, whose earlier credits include Poor Things.
Olivia Colman’s fisherwoman lives apart from villagers because of her fishy odor and commissions Peter Dinklage’s basket weaver to create a partner. Alexander Skarsgård plays the willow figure, made by Weta with nipples formed from wood; Elizabeth Debicki appears as the Tailor’s Wife. The UK release is set for October 30.
The film’s high-profile cast and broad comic premise could draw curious audiences to offbeat fairy-tale adaptations and encourage more risk-taking in period comedy. Its bawdy treatment of marriage and desire may prompt discussion about consent and companionship, though its fantastical framing likely keeps such debate light. Viewers who enjoy Monty Python-style humor or Colman’s comic work may be most affected, while the film’s quirky tone may limit its reach beyond niche audiences.