Wicker Review: Colman & Skarsgård's Weird Seaside Romance

On the outskirts of a small village by the sea lives the Fisherwoman (Colman): smelly, single, and the permanent punchline of every joke in town. Her neighbours are the fussy, small-minded sort who'd rather gossip about her than pass the salt. One day, thoroughly done with the ridicule, she commissions a husband made entirely of wicker from the local Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage). And wouldn't you know it - the guy works out. The Wicker Husband (Skarsgård) is attentive, loyal, and has the emotional intelligence of a golden retriever with abs. Naturally, a conservative town that couldn't handle a smelly single woman absolutely loses its collective mind over a woman dating a piece of furniture. Outrage, jealousy, and chaos follow, with the Tailor's Wife (Elizabeth Debicki) and the Tailor (Nabhaan Rizwan) caught in the crossfire, plus a Doctor (Richard E. Grant) and an Innkeeper (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) stirring the pot.

Let's start with the obvious: this is Olivia Colman's movie, and she is spectacular. The Fisherwoman could have been a pity party, but Colman plays her with a stubborn, bristly dignity - a woman who knows exactly what the town thinks of her and has decided to stop caring. Her chemistry with Skarsgård is genuinely deranged in the best way. He plays the Wicker Husband with a stillness that's part Pinocchio, part golden retriever, and entirely committed. Every time he stares lovingly into her eyes with those woven sockets, you half-expect him to ask for a glass of water and a good moisturizer.

Fischer's direction leans into the storybook texture: foggy shorelines, crooked cottages, and a village that feels like a diorama built to be poked. The comedy lands most often in the town's escalating hysteria, and the supporting cast is stacked - Dinklage as a weary craftsman who accidentally creates a romantic rival is a joy, Elizabeth Debicki gets to weaponize condescension as only she can, and Richard E. Grant shows up to be magnificently Richard E. Grant.

But here's the wicker in the works: the film runs 105 minutes and doesn't always know what to do with its middle act. Once the shock of the premise wears off, the plot treads water, cycling through variations on "the town is scandalized" until the finale arrives. It's aiming for the bittersweet whimsy of a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film or The Shape of Water, but it doesn't quite stick the tonal landing - the darker beats can feel jarring against the whimsy, and some jokes land harder than the emotional payoffs. Still, the ratings tell a story of their own: audiences on IMDb are warmer (7.4/10) than the more middling TMDb crowd (6.25/10), which tracks for a movie this divisive.

Pros:

• Olivia Colman delivering a prickly, poignant performance that anchors all the weirdness
• Skarsgård's committed, deadpan turn as the Wicker Husband is an all-timer of absurdist romance
• A stacked supporting cast clearly having a blast
• Distinctive storybook visuals and a genuinely original premise

Cons:

• The middle act meanders, repeating the "scandalized town" beat once too often
• Tonal whiplash between whimsy and darker themes
• Some emotional beats land softer than the jokes

Wicker is the cinematic equivalent of finding a handwoven basket at a yard sale and discovering it's actually a designer piece. It's odd, it's uneven, and it might just charm the socks off you. Colman and Skarsgård are worth the price of admission alone, and Fischer has crafted something genuinely original in a landscape of sequels and reboots. It won't be for everyone - the tonal wobbles are real - but if you've ever wanted to watch an Oscar winner fall for a man made of reeds while her neighbours lose their minds, this is your moment. Weave your way to the theater.