In a world where love is often measured by appearances, wealth and social approval, Olivia Colman’s extraordinary new film Wicker turns traditional romance completely upside down. What begins as the heartbreaking story of a lonely woman rejected by her village develops into something wonderfully strange: a darkly comic fairy tale about jealousy, desire and a husband unlike any other.

Starring Colman alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Peter Dinklage, Wicker combines unconventional romance with biting social satire, delivering a surprisingly emotional story beneath its eccentric premise.

 

A Lonely Woman Makes an Impossible Request

At the heart of the film is Colman’s Fisherwoman, an unmarried outsider who has endured years of humiliation because of her occupation, appearance and inability to find a husband.

While other villagers celebrate weddings and build families, she remains isolated, mocked for smelling of fish and treated as someone undeserving of affection.

Everything changes when she approaches the mysterious Basket-Maker, played by Peter Dinklage, with an extraordinary request: create a husband just for her.

What follows is the film’s most unusual revelation.

The Basket-Maker constructs a handsome man entirely from wicker and natural materials. Brought to life as Mr Wicker, Alexander Skarsgård’s character becomes the loving companion the Fisherwoman has always dreamed of finding.

But this peculiar creation is far more than an artificial husband. He represents everything the village’s supposedly respectable men have failed to become.

Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård Deliver an Unexpected Romance

Colman brings remarkable vulnerability and warmth to a woman discovering affection after years of rejection.

Her transformation is not simply physical or romantic. As Mr Wicker treats her with kindness, dignity and genuine devotion, she gradually becomes more confident and comfortable with herself.

Skarsgård delivers an equally fascinating performance, balancing the character’s strange origins with tenderness, humour and an almost innocent enthusiasm for married life.

Mr Wicker repairs the roof, improves the garden, fixes broken doors and approaches domestic responsibilities without resentment.

Their passionate relationship also produces some of the film’s funniest moments, with their enthusiastic encounters occasionally leaving furniture in pieces.

Yet beneath the absurdity lies a touching message: genuine love is demonstrated through attention, respect and everyday acts of care.

When Happiness Becomes the Village’s Greatest Threat

Unfortunately, the Fisherwoman’s newfound happiness soon provokes resentment.

The villagers, who once considered her unworthy of marriage, cannot tolerate the possibility that she might possess something their own relationships lack.

At a wedding celebration, the couple’s affectionate dancing becomes a particularly revealing moment. Their happiness exposes the dissatisfaction surrounding them.

Elizabeth Debicki’s Tailor’s Wife and Marli Siu’s Bottlewasher’s Wife become increasingly determined to interfere.

Their schemes introduce accusations of infidelity, a mysterious wicker baby and escalating hostility that threatens the couple’s peaceful existence.

When an attempt to imitate Mr Wicker’s helpful behaviour ends in a fatal accident, the story takes a considerably darker turn.

The village’s obsession with comparison and jealousy begins producing consequences nobody can control.

A Wicked Fairy Tale With a Surprisingly Human Heart

Adapted from Ursula Wills’ short story The Wicker Husband, the film is written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson.

Their imaginative storytelling blends sensual comedy, unsettling fantasy and thoughtful criticism of restrictive gender expectations.

Cinematographer Lol Crawley enriches the unusual setting with atmospheric visuals that make its fantastical world feel strangely convincing.

Ultimately, Wicker succeeds because its bizarre central creation reveals something profoundly human.

Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård transform an impossible romance into a compelling examination of companionship, social cruelty and the destructive power of envy.

And as the Fisherwoman discovers, the strangest husband imaginable may understand genuine love better than anyone around her.