Wicker movie story: Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman), with a fine wit and the stench of the cod she gutted. She was, however, also the butt of the villagers’ joke on account of her presumed unsuitability for marital bliss. Undeterred by the lack of suitors in the village, the fisherwoman beseeches the local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage), to ‘make’ her a husband. A month later, the fisherwoman gets married, to a husband (Aleksander Skarsgad) made of wicker. Their union is dubbed unnatural by the villagers who envy not only the love and respect the duo share for each other, but also their sexual compatibility. Can the fisherwoman and her wicker husband find their happily ever after?
Wicker movie review: A film with my favourite Murderbot in it is a must watch, even if he’s all covered in wicker and barely recognisable with only his voice. Aleksander’s got the best of the Skarsgard gene pool, me thinks, and is equally dreamy, as can be disgusting (Big Little Lies). And he was paired with Olivia Colman, who I’ve loved since Broadchurch. This casting was quite the clincher and the pre-release buzz was about it being the raunchiest film out there. Skarsgard and Colman do break a bed mid-romp in the trailer. Turns out, the trailer was a bit of a red herring.
The bedroom antics of this couple are but a minor portion in an otherwise serious film about gender roles, equality, kindness, and so much more. A man doing household chores and home improvements and being known by his wife’s profession – the fisher husband – is literally unthinkable to the village lot, both men and women. Their jealousy almost destroys the couple, with at least one suffering bodily harm, but they find their way back to each other eventually. In that sense, Wicker has quite the fairy tale feel to it.
What stops Wicker from being delightful is how easily the fisherwoman falls for the machinations of others aimed at destroying the good life she has with her wicker husband. Years of humiliation at the hands of the village folk and the awareness of the villainy some are capable of unleashing should have created a natural firewall against any such incursion. But then there wouldn’t be a conflict point, right.
Olivia Colman is brilliant as the fisherwoman and is complemented beautifully by Skarsgard’s voice. It takes a special kind of talent to be nearly unrecognisable in a costume that allows no facial expression and deliver lines like “I was made to be with you” and “You are the reason I breathe and live”, that absolutely melt the hearts of the listeners. Wicker, though, wouldn’t be as good without the rest of the cast, including Elizabeth Debicki as the village bully and Peter Dinklage as the ‘Geppetto’ of this tale.
Wicker movie verdict: Wicker is not the provocatively sensuous film it was made out to be in promos, but it definitely is one of the better romantic dramas exploring the makings of a good marriage.
