Who Says Romance is Dead?
Who could’ve guessed that a film about a stinky fisherwoman and a wicker husband would end up being one of the most romantic movies of the year? For all its vulgarity and absurdity, Wicker weaves a surprisingly sincere, shockingly sweet fable of against-all-odds love and a dismantling critique of the patriarchy. Bursting with charm and stunning wicker work, the film is a testament to what you can achieve when you actually take your weird premise as far as it can go. It’s refreshing. So many films stop just short of where Wicker is willing to go, and while mileage may vary on how well that succeeds, I’d argue the risk vs. reward pays out big in the end.
Wicker smartly blends its fable foundations with a modern sense of vulgarity, keeping most of its story and character and fantasy elements firmly planted in fairy tale land while giving our characters plenty of sexual innuendo and f bombs to shout. This melding of ideas allows the Wicker experiment to sustain its absurdity and charm throughout rather than puttering out with a great premise but no path forward. Fischer and Wilson are unafraid to embrace the strangest parts of their story without letting the richer thematic text slip through their fingers. They have something to say with Wicker; it just happens to be beneath bizarre fantasy and exposed wicker anatomy.
When You Can’t Find a Husband, Make One
We begin the story of Wicker with the Fisher Woman, an ostracized orphan on the outskirts of town who is constantly ridiculed by the townsfolk for her fish scent. Finally tired of the mockery of being unwed, she asks the Basket Maker to make her a husband. He agrees, and the Wicker man quickly finds her, and they are married. From here, Wicker becomes a tale of two worlds. One where the newlywed couple navigates married life – complete with challenges, compromises, choice, trust, and lots and lots of excellent sex – and the other where the entire town is on the verge of cracking due to the unnatural introduction of something new. Every character is defined by their role: fisherwoman, basket maker, doctor, the tailor’s wife, etc. They are defined by their traditions, by the patriarchy that holds their fragile, sometimes nasty life together. And the idea that the fisherwoman can be made happy by a man-made, not born, threatens everything they hold dear, and some will stop at nothing to keep things the way they’ve always been.
What is love? Do we truly follow our heart’s desires or are we simply following tradition? And what happens when someone finds love in a hopeless place under unexpected circumstances? What if that love exposes the faults in your own life? What if it highlights all the misgivings about the choices you’ve made, the ones that fill you with regret and cause you to lash out at everyone around you? When the traditions of marriage and patriarchy and control are shattered by unnatural events, what becomes of us then? Wicker posits these questions without ever feeling as heavy-handed as they sound saying them out loud. These thematic questions are instantly identifiable but never detract from the overall romanticized love affair and wholly entertaining romp.
Wicker is Weird, but it Works
While the concept and execution are solid, it’s Coleman and Skarsgård who help tremendously in making Wicker work. Coleman is so good in this register. A bit odd, self-assured but sad, a little off but still sweet. It’s the perfect role for someone like Coleman, and just the right amount of weird to draw out the best in her. Skarsgård continues his epic run of weird shit. He seems incapable of taking on simple, easy, heart-throb paycheck roles, only interested in the fringes of indie cinema and filling his filmography with as many different types of roles as possible. As the soft-spoken, almost childlike wicker husband, Skarsgård once again nails it. The pair share believable chemistry despite one literally being made of wicker, and Wicker needs their budding love to be believable to work. I love Coleman when she does things like this, and I hope Skarsgård never takes a “normal” role for the rest of his career because he thrives in the strange.
With the entirety of the cast giving their all – Debicki is quite fiendish, Dinklage perfectly cast, and Richard E. Grant popping up a scene-stealing, lunatic doctor – it’s easy to be won over by Wicker. On top of that, the stunning makeup and effects to bring the wicker man to life is downright marvelous. Weta Workshop continues to push the limits of practical effect work, and the the Wicker Husband is an astounding visual achievement. The details of awkward movement and sunlight that peeks through the woven gaps are some of the best-looking practical creations I’ve seen on screen. Makeup Designer Joe Dunckley and application by Lead Makeup Effects Artist Sarah Rubano have crafted something special with the Wicker Husband, and it looks incredible. And ya, the wicker husband can stick and move.
Wrapping Up
Whether you’re looking for something off the beaten path or want to be whisked away to a far-away land of romance, or you just love a good sex joke and want to get a sneak peek at the Wicker Husband’s wick, Wicker offers a strange but sweet movie-going experience for most. I can’t say for all – there’s some one-note quality to its premise and may be a bit too out there for some. But once again, we are getting what we asked for and have to show up for it to get more. Every time we utter “We want original cinema” and then don’t go see Wicker is a net loss for movies. Money is the only thing that talks here. And if you’re not willing to put your money where your wick is, we won’t get movies like this anymore. And we SHOULD, because Wicker is a delight. It’s foul with its words but kind with its heart. The right blend of ingredients to ship an idea that on paper shouldn’t work at all.
Wicker works. And I was left pleasantly surprised at how well it does and how touching it actually ended up being. It will make you want to fall in love, but not because you’re bombarded with picture-perfect people on the Hallmark channel. No, this ones for the misfits, the outcasts. Love conquers all – even the patriarchy – and can even be found by those who many have decided don’t deserve it. You are not defined by what you do, and finding that person who sees past that and loves you for who you are? That’s Wicker love, baby.
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