Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer adapt and expand a short story by Ursula Wills, called "The Wicker Husband." This expanded version is unique and entertaining. It brought the audience to their feet for a standing ovation.
The setting is a medieval-ish village filled with all the typical folk, the butcher, the baker, the tavern owner and bottle washer, and the tailor. The three who most draw us in are the basket maker played by Peter Dinklage, the tailor's wife, Elizabeth Debicki, and the fisherwoman, Olivia Coleman.
The tale that unfolds is a magical, mythical fable which has lessons to teach about the human dynamics and how emotions and actions are influenced by anger, jealously, fear and love. Even a sweet life and lovely relationship can become toxic because "the bad is much easier to believe than the good."
I chose this film because of Olivia Coleman. Her chameleon-like talent, transforms her into the unkempt and somewhat smelly fisherwoman who is the butt of villagers' jokes and pokes. When she pays the basket maker to weave her a wicker husband and in a month he appears, life changes for everyone. Alexander Skarsgård is wonderful as the wicker man.
I loved the story and all the characters who brought it to life. They were all there at the Q & A to talk about the experience and praise the directors.
On the KPCW sun rating system, "Wicker” receives five out of five suns.
