As we’ve learned from stories like Edward Scissorhands, Pinocchio, and Lars and the Real Girl, few things teach us more about what it means to be fully human and alive than creatures crafted by an artist's hands and the desires of one desperate for connection.

A lonely Fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) rebels against the limits, forced and chosen, of her lot in life and entreats a Basket Weaver with mystical skills (Peter Dinklage) to craft her a husband made of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård). Despite its unusual premise, Wicker is surprisingly straightforward in its sweetness and condemnation of small cruelties. There are darker elements to the fantasy, including implied violence, visible gore, and the stark reality that frequent death was a fact of this time period, but these ultimately highlight moments of beauty and affirm the need to savor life’s pleasures, be they exultant or sensual. On the whole, the film is warm and charming with real pathos, largely due to the exemplary cast led by Colman, who seemingly effortlessly elevates both the bawdy comedic beats and moments of sorrow and joy. In lesser hands, the humor might have read as pedestrian, and the relationships distant and unrelatable.

), Wicker is set in a generic medieval village where all the townspeople are known only by their trade (if male) or their husband’s vocation (if female). The one exception is the Fisherwoman, who has either rejected, or been rejected by, the traditional confines of marriage and as such is known by her profession.

Source link