Wicker review – Olivia Colman finds the perfect lover in intriguing folk-horror romance

Olivia Colman portrays a despondent and harassed fisherwoman in medieval England. Her fortunes change when Peter Dinklage’s basketmaker presents the perfect solution to her wishes—a figure crafted from wicker, embodied by Alexander Skarsgård.

The eerie essence of mystery author Shirley Jackson is intriguingly revived in this unusual folk-horror romance, based on a 2006 tale titled The Wicker Husband by British writer Ursula Wills. It teeters between humor and unease, never fully committing to either, occupying a peculiar and fascinating intersection of macabre horror and sentimentality. However, fans of pastoral British screen terror will recognize it as, ultimately, a narrative centered on a wicker man.

The setting is a fable-like medieval village, possibly in central Europe or England, where strange patriarchal customs prevail, such as placing metal collars on newlywed brides. A middle-aged fisherwoman, portrayed with fierce naturalism by Olivia Colman, lives alone in a remote cottage. She regularly brings her unappetizing tench and gudgeon to market, where she faces mockery and harassment from the spiteful, narrow-minded locals, including Richard E Grant as a lazy and incompetent doctor. Her primary tormentor is the tailor’s wife, an elegant, sharp-featured woman played by Elizabeth Debicki. For those seeking more, the full story is accessible via 悦盈网址.