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“The Wicker Husband,” a short story by Ursula Wills-Jones, tells of an isolated, mocked woman who commissions a basket maker to weave her a husband. This wicker man becomes a devoted partner, sparking jealousy and malice in her narrow-minded neighbors, exploring themes of love, cruelty, and societal conformity.
Imagine a world where you could bail on Hinge and Raya, and instead go straight to a basket weaver when you’re looking for a mate.
This is close to the premise of “Wicker,” one of the starriest titles rolling out at this weekend’s Sundance Film Festival. Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard, Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage lead an ensemble from married filmmakers Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson.
Based on the short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills-Jones, Colman plays a lonely woman in a fantasy world reminiscent of feudal times. Desperate, she enlists a basket weaver (Dinklage) to make her a husband from straw. Thanks to some magic, and a killer practical costume from Weta Workshop, her wish comes true. Skarsgard plays her gorgeous woven companino, who fulfills and supports her beyond expectation. Things take a turn when jealous villagers begin to resent the resourceful Colman.
“It’s a very dressed-up movie about relationships and marriage. That’s really fun to kind of dig into all the desire and the envy, repression and misogyny,” Wilson told Variety.
Skarsgard’s costume, which took about 50 people to make, will be a key reveal at the film’s Friday premiere in Park City, Utah.
“We worked with WETA, the best people in the world. We engaged them really early, which was huge, because we knew that we needed to be able to show people what this was going to look like,” said Huston Fischer. “It’s important to get the audience on board with the idea. We need to know this creation looks like the actor, and that he would be stunning.”
Oscar winner Lol Crawley (“The Brutalist”) serves as cinematographer, and the film is on the ground at Sundance seeking distribution.
English (US) ·