The short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills-Jones is about a lonely and ridiculed woman who asks a basket maker to weave a basket for her husband. The Wicker Man becomes a devoted partner, arousing jealousy and malice in his close-minded neighbors, and explores themes of love, cruelty, and social conformity.
Imagine a world where you could help Hinge and Raya go straight to a basket weaver instead when looking for a mate.
That’s close to the premise of “Wicker,” one of the hottest titles opening at this weekend’s Sundance Film Festival. Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage lead an ensemble consisting of married filmmakers Alex Houston Fisher and Eleanor Wilson. Produced by Topic Studios and Tango.
Based on the short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills, Coleman plays a lonely woman in a fantasy world reminiscent of feudal times. Desperate, she asks a basket weaver (Dinklage) to make her a husband out of straw. Thanks to some magic and a wonderfully practical costume from Weta Workshop, her wish will come true. Skarsgård plays a gorgeous weaver Companino who meets and supports her beyond her expectations. Things take a turn when jealous villagers begin to resent the quick-witted Colman.
Olivia Colman reviews footage from the set of ‘The Wicker’.
“This is a very dressed-up movie about relationships and marriage. It’s really fun to delve into all the desire, envy, oppression, and misogyny,” Wilson told Variety.
Skarsgård’s costume, which took about 50 people to create, will make its big debut at the film’s premiere Friday in Park City, Utah.
“We worked with WETA, who are the best people in the world. We worked with them very early on, which was huge because we knew we needed to be able to show people what this could look like,” Houston Fisher said. “It’s important to get the audience into this idea. We need to know that this work is similar to the actor and that he will be great.”
Speaking at the Variety Studio hosted by Audible ahead of the film’s premiere, Coleman explained why he signed on to the film: “I really liked the script. I wanted to play a stinky fisherman. It’s one of my favorite scripts I’ve ever read. If it had been played by anyone else, I would have been really mad. That was my litmus test.”
Oscar winner Lol Crowley (The Brutalist) is the cinematographer, and the film is opening at Sundance for distribution.
Elizabeth Debicki and the directors on the set of “The Wicker.”
