Wicker
Wicker is a 2026 absurdist romantic comedy directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, releasing in US theaters on October 23, 2026. It stars Olivia Colman as an ostracized fisherwoman who commissions a basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave a sentient wicker husband (Alexander Skarsgård). – Wikipedia
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All of these pieces along with the cast seem to have a thing for sincerity and dark whimsy and it all culminates in a film that’s equal parts humorous, horny, cringe-inducing and thought-provoking.
What a Man, What a Man, What a Man!
What does it take to make a great movie? You need a firm, but flexible cast, versatile directing and soft cinematography. Separately these items are great,, but when woven together, they create material that’s durable, long-lasting and aesthetically pleasing. And if the fabric is really resistant to wear and tear, you might end up with a piece that’s sentimental and maybe even romantic. Wicker (2026) is an inventive film that asks viewers to consider the many moving parts of desires and how we obtain them.
Adapted from Ursula Wills’s The Wicker Husband by co-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Wicker is a woodland fantasy romance set in a charming hamlet filled with cliche characters who have created their own customs and norms. People are not named as much as they are titled. We meet the local fishmonger known as Fisherwoman (Oliva Coleman) as she bundles her catches and strolls through the village fulfilling orders. She’s met with comments about her malodorous appearance, her posture-challenged gate and her general lack of care in her appearance, but she takes it mostly in stride, preferring to collect her coins and ignore the rattle.
She’s friendly with one fellow tradesman who shows up to the market about once or twice a quarter. Basker Weaver (Peter Dinklage who also acts as our narrator though who can tell if he’s just chatty or if he truly knows he’s narrating?) provides service to the town, but thinks lowly of most of the citizens. He sees the way they treat Fisherwoman and it’s clear he’s glad he doesn’t often frequent the town. The isolation of our little village means that customs and traditions are fairly unique to their community. Bottlewasher (Gustav Lindh) is marrying his love, Tailor Wife’s sister (yes, this is her name). During the ceremony it’s said that “Man and woman become Man and His wife” and while in our world that phrase can be translated to “Yikes!”, in their cosey nook, this is seen as an aspiration. Bottlewasher collars his wife and the two celebrate in the towne center to celebrate after.
A charming game involving a blindfold, a strap, a carrot and a hungry goat are among the party favors and woven eggs filled with predictive powders that guess who the next betrothed will be. Fisherwoman gets the purple egg and at first finds it amusing before using the inspirational egg to make a decision. She would be getting married next! Now all she needs is a husband, or at least a man made of husband material! She visits Basker Weaver at his cottage in the woods and requests that he make her a husband. After a likely too brief pause, Basketmaker agrees, telling her to be at the church in 1 month.
My Man, My Man, My Wicker Man
Wicker does a lot of things well, but most of all it sets the fairytale/parable scene solidly at the front. It’s a sort of grounded fantasy where lessons are taught in metaphor allowing you to handwave the more nonsensical things away. We’re not privy to neither the magic Basketweaver uses, nor the knowledge of if it’s magic at all. Everyone in the film acknowledges it’s weird af, but they take it in stride allowing the audience to do the same. It’s important to not get hung up on these little logical fallacies lest you miss the forest for the trees entirely.
One of the main characters in our tiny town is Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki) who acts more as a frenemy to Fisherwoman. She is queen bee of the town and tolerates Fisherwoman simply because she’s the only one not frightened enough to do so. It’s important to note that Tailor’s Wife is so named because she’s married to Tailor (Nabhaan Rizwan). Before their union she was known as Doctor’s Daughter (the doctor in question being portrayed by the great Richard Grant). We see that Tailor’s Wife has dreams of traveling and developing all of the skills she’s gained over the years. Her husband sees her as more of an asset at home, keeping house and children.
Her goals being denied lead her to harbor resentment once she sees the Fisherwoman’s dreams come true. And come true they do. Basket Weaver delivers on his promise and Wicker Husband (Alexander Skasgard) arrives at the chapel ready to make Fisherwoman his home. He’s not overly effusive, but he’s unnervingly sincere. He showers Fisherwoman with platitudes and shows her his love by way of house repairs, helping her with the fishing and by also taking care of her physical needs. It’s… a lot. Some may call it overwhelming, Fisherwoman sort of thinks so and the town wives definitely think so.
Baker’s Wife (Ella Bruccoleri) and Innkeeper’s Wife (Emily Lloyd-Saini) both begin to contemplate the states of their marriages and whether they are truly happy, something they’d never really contemplated before. There’s a general bafflement through the town, but over time the various opinions of Wicker Husband and Fisherwoman begin to sow discontent through the community. Wicker Husband is mostly oblivious, but Fisherwoman begins to have doubts against her better judgement. One of the most interesting things about Wicker is the idea that Fisherwoman might not be ready to accept goodness into her life. Especially when she has no role models of how to handle it. We get bouts of bitterness, self doubt and finally self-sabotage.
What a Mighty Good Man
The success of Wicker hinges on the audience buy-in and it was the works of the directors, the cinematographer Lol Crawley, Composer Anna Meredith and Editor Sofi Marshall that created such a welcoming environment, despite the fact it’s filled with mostly terrible people. Crawly is known for his work in films like White Noise (2022) and The Brutalist (2024) where he specializes in making large format scenes feel intimate and cozy. Meredith worked on projects like Eighth Grade (2018) and The Favourite (2018) that displayed her uncategorizable blend of classical, pop and punk rock. There are medieval shades of this style throughout the film. And Marshal worked on other heightened/twisted reality projects like I Saw the TV Glow (2024), and Paint (2023). All of these pieces along with the cast seem to have a thing for sincerity and dark whimsy and it all culminates in a film that’s equal parts humorous, horny, cringe-inducing and thought-provoking.
I highly recommend this film and repeat viewings. It’s easy to dismiss the film as being something silly that women are into, or compare it to dark fantasy novels. But the beauty of this film is it’s all of that and more! Even if you think you understand the main themes, taking time to appreciate the scenery, the detail and easter eggs hidden in the costumes and set design puts the passion of the filmmakers on full display. It’s nice to see a studio still willing to take a chance on a “weird” (complimentary) film. Many movies now are made with a happy ending as a sure bet. In a world that caters to “two screen viewing” it’s nice to see a film that demands more from its viewers and delivers the reward for paying attention. There’s so much to unpack and Wicker provides the perfect vehicle for discussion.
Wicker will premiere in theaters Friday, October 23rd, 2026.
Score: 9/10