Barry Wurst: ‘Wicker’ weaves sex, affection and unlikely romance
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"Wicker," written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, presents itself with a great Halloween costume for the future. Who wouldn't want to dress as Alexander Skarsgård's Wicker Husband, particularly since the character isn't a horror movie creation but a poignant, man-made figure made for the service of pleasure.
You read that right. This will be forever known as the movie where Olivia Colman has an ideal man created for her. As played by Skarsgård, the Wicker Husband is made of wicker, incredibly kind and an amazing partner in bed. No, you're still reading this correctly.
Colman stars as a character identified as "the Fisherwoman," who works in a small village where everyone else is identified not by name but profession or public identity -- the Baker's Wife, the Innkeeper and the Bottlewasher. The Fisherwoman is known to be single, lives alone and is noted to, well, smell like fish. Most of the townfolk are dismissive toward her, particularly the Tailor's Wife (played by Elizabeth Debicki), who mocks her openly.
After the Fisherwoman shares her loneliness with the Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage), he responds by giving her the Wicker Husband, a Pinocchio-like creation who is in love with the Fisherwoman and all too happy to please her sexually ... despite his skin consisting of wicker and his resemblance to furniture.
"Wicker" is peculiar in ways both good and bad. In the former category, it's an original, bold film sporting a uniquely strange concept. In the latter category, it also feels like an overstuffed short story that, once it basks in its wacky premise, has nowhere to go. The big twist at the end isn't enough to elevate it, either.
Skarsgård manages to humanize his character and makes wise vocal choices. The make-up and special effects utilized to create his character are amazing and Oscar-worthy. The sound effects are especially effective at evoking the character's movements.
Dinklage gives a plausible, grounded performance, which isn't an easy achievement in something this bizarre. Considering how consistently terrific Dinklage is (his extraordinary work in the 2021 musical "Cyrano" is always worth experiencing), it's no surprise that he's top-notch, no matter the challenges of the role.
Likewise, in addition to Dinklage, I'm always down for anything the fearless Skarsgård does. To no one's surprise, Colman is excellent as usual and has a hard-to-explain but undeniable chemistry with Skarsgård. Their love scenes together are ... Let's just move on.
"Wicker" reminded me a little of Julia Jackman's "100 Nights of Hero" (2025), Jackman's little-seen fantasy that had a similarly arresting look and one-of-a-kind tone.
The best scenes in "Wicker" are the unorthodox rituals within this small community, where the Fisherwoman comes across as one of the few truly nice and sane citizens. We witness a wedding that concludes with a collar being shackled around the bride’s neck, and I won't spoil anything further. The moment made me contemplate how many public rituals and traditions that I take for granted that are, in fact, profoundly strange.
It's always exciting and encouraging to see filmmakers take risks, and without a doubt, "Wicker" will linger in the minds of the filmgoers who give in to their curiosity, mostly due to how unashamedly horny the main characters are. Yet, even with the raunchy dialogue and sex scenes, it almost matches the sweetness of "The Princess Bride" (1987), though not quite.
I prefer Skarsgård playing characters whose flesh doesn't resemble a rocking chair, but I still applaud him and his co-stars for taking on such risky material.
While I admired the chutzpah of "Wicker," it didn't convince me I needed a wicker spouse of my own. Nevertheless, I still hold a special place in my heart for Kim Cattrall in "Mannequin" (1987), so maybe it's a texture thing?
(2.5 out of 4 stars)
Barry Wurst II is the founder of the Hawaii Film Critics Society and teaches film classes at University of Hawaii Maui College.