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DIRECTED BY: Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson

FEATURING: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki, Peter Dinklage,

PLOT: A medieval spinster Fisherwoman asks the local Basketweaver to build her a husband out of wicker.

COMMENTS: Tired of being mocked and sick of living alone, a smelly Fisherwoman (all Wicker‘s characters are referred to by their occupations) commissions the local magical Basketweaver to make her a husband. The intrigued Basketweaver accepts the challenge, tells her to be at the chapel in a month. Surprisingly, the local priest doesn’t object to officiating at this unholy wedding, and the villagers barely raise an eyebrow when the new woody construct strides into town and takes a seat at the tavern bar. In fact, the women are more intrigued than horrified by the macabre woven consort, who not only demolishes the bed with his aggressive lovemaking, but dutifully mends it afterwards. Soon, the village is consumed by envy: the women wish they had sturdier lovers, the men resent the women’s roving eyes, and the Tailor’s Wife takes it upon herself to sow doubt about the happy but unnatural union.

Wicker is minor in impact, but nearly perfect in its way. The story structure is solid and classical, providing a happy ending for the virtuous and ironic comeuppance for the wicked. Colman ably handles the unglamorous but dignified lead; Skarsgård takes a stoic approach, adopting what sounds like a Native American accent. Dinklage is delightful as the impish magical weaver, and the rest of the cast supplies ample comic relief as the hamlet of horny bumpkins. Technical aspects are all marvelous: the bucolic cinematography is fine, editing is professional, and the score provides proper period flavor. The imposing bronzed Wicker Husband himself is an amazing collaboration between the makeup and costuming departments. Sound design is also a standout; you hear every crackle of the Husband’s stiffening erection. If there’s any criticism to be made, its that the pacing occasionally lags—and some may find the Basketweaver’s habit of indulging in Shakespearean monologues distracting and pretentious, although others will see it as a mere quirky ornament.

We live in an age where humans are lured into romantic relationships with AI chatbots and full-service sexbots are mere decades away, but Wicker doesn’t reference that simmering controversy. Nor does it seriously delve into the ethical and philosophical questions about whether its automaton has free will, or whether its love is merely a simulation. Heck, it’s not even concerned whether the Fisherwoman might get splinters. Despite it’s ribaldry, Wicker is steadfastly sweet and pure in its fairy tale romanticism. Although some will find an embedded attack on the patriarchy (local wedding ceremonies involve placing a collar on the bride, which may be as kinky as it is misogynist), the film stays true to its light romcom aspirations. The satirical elements mainly focus on a simple human foible (jealousy); the same tale could have been comfortably told by Chaucer or Boccaccio. The fantastical premise is a little out there for the average moviegoer, sure, but any weirdness is only a light accent in this pleasant peasant stew.

Wicker was based on “The Wicker Husband,” an Ursula Wills short story later adapted into a stage musical. It’s heartening to see Wills stumble into a big payday for a tale that was originally published on the Internet for free.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“…threatens to feel largely like a logline writ into something grander (i.e., a short story with a wild idea stretched into a feature), but these actors are irresistibly weird and wonderful, as only they could be.”–Ryan Lattanzino, Indiewire (festival screening)