As far as adult fairy tales go, "Wicker" makes up for its aggressive scenes of carnal desire with a romantic and surprisingly whimsical love story.
Olivia Colman plays a bachelorette fisherwoman who commissions the local basket maker (Peter Dinklage) to create a husband for her. Before long, her new wicker husband (Alexander Skarsgård), magically brought to life with the sole purpose of loving and serving her, becomes the cause of jealousy and insecurity within the village.
"Wicker" is based on the short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills, and the film makes it easy to feel how much of the text has been retained in the screen adaptation. It is soft yet bleak, and at times unsettling, though that unease is overshadowed by the abundance of swooning and yearning from the Wicker Husband.
Skarsgård plays the role so well that it’s easy to empathise with him despite the heavy prosthetics and costume (the entire wicker get-up was finely crafted by Weta Workshop). Colman, for her part, brings her renowned comic energy to the love story with great sophistication.
"Wicker" is charming and very entertaining to watch, though I feel its toned-down nature keeps us from seeing a wilder, darker version of the film.
“Wicker” is now showing in cinemas across New Zealand.
Featured images from Black Bear.
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