“Scantily clad, jazzing flapper to whom a dance, a new hat or a man with a car is of more importance than the fate of nations” was The Times’ damning indictment of the women partaking in the suffragette and feminist movement that swept the UKin the 1920sas they protested their right to vote. A sentiment very much put to the sword by Thea Sharrock’s comedy mysteryWicked Little Letters. The film, which, in its own words, is “more true than you think,” would have the Victorian author of the retrospectively absurdThe Ladies’ Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politenessin a state of despair. Set against the backdrop of the quaint English town of Littlehampton following the conclusion of World War I,Wicked Little Letterstraverses the accurate tale of the poison-pen correspondences sent by an anonymous source.
There is something afoot among the endless rows of charming, terraced houses on cobbled streets in this quintessentially British seaside town. A serial-letter writer is on the loose, but not of the love kind that Hemingway sent to Marlene Dietrich or John Keats to Fanny Brawne; instead, of utter profanityand personal abusethat rattles this predominantly conservative, traditionalist town to its core. Olivia Colman stars as Edith Swan, a god-fearing Christian governed by her overbearing father who lives at home with her aging parents. An apparent victim of harassment via postal means, a subservient Edith is in persistent receipt of these colorful, almost allegorical letters that brand her things like a “foxy-arsed old whore” and a “sad, stinky bitch”.
Living next door to a quirky, larger-than-life Irish immigrant, Rose (played by Jessie Buckley, who is in divine form), a single mother whose foul-mouthed rants and sexual liberality lead her to becoming suspect number one. Rose is the enemy of the then-modern man, an enemy of conventionalism, stoicism, the Antichrist of misogynistic propensities, and the type of woman men feared back then. Buckley excels as this woman unbothered by the burden of politeness and etiquette, gifted with a sharp tongue and a loud voice.
Wicked Little Letters' Ensemble Cast Come to the Rescue
Wicked Little Letters
Actors of the caliber of Jessie Buckley, Olivia Colman, and Timothy Spall undoubtedly elevate this picture, making it largely an enjoyable viewing experience. The addition of Anjana Vasan as Police Officer Gladys Moss allowsWicked Little Lettersto cover all bases when it comes to the exploration of the views of the differing demographics of womenin this periodof social unrest.
A woman of color and, more pertinently, a woman working in the male-dominated police force, Moss treads a fine line between Edith’s amenable acquiescence and Rose’s rebelliousness. In turn, this creates a fascinating power struggle between complicity and subversion as these women contend with an ever-changing dynamic and a male-based resistance to gender equality.
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The Film Labors the Comedic and Social Points
Wicked Little Lettersis a film that plays on an amusing juxtaposition of a woman not knowing “her place” inan inherently patriarchal, establishmentarian society. The expletive-filled language employed by Rose during a time when there was a squeamishness around choice expressions provides mild comic relief. However, this quickly wears thin, and the film’s heavy reliance on this particular facet is one of its downfalls. While in this instance, fact is stranger than fiction, the silliness of comedian and screenwriter Jonny Sweet’s script prevails, albeit to the detriment of the film’s narrative tone, often making it feel as though the plot is continuously reaching and undermining the movie’s integrity as a poignant social commentary.
Switching between outbursts of coarse language and glaringly obvious quips about the attitudes of the time,Wicked Little Letterslacks subtlety, often laboring the point about the absurdity of gender disparities, sharing similarities with Greta Gerwig’sBarbie, which also fell victim to the “Okay, we get it” response. Despite the litany of references made to the archaic views on the women that inhabit our screen, the film fails to capitalize on the expansion of this particular aspect, offering merely a surface-level perspective that is as simple as “look at how badly these men treat these women.”
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As far asthis comedy-mystery’spunchline goes, we are served up somewhat of a damp squib as an air of predictability leaves even someone of Jacques Clouseau’s detective prowess in poll position to discover the identity of the culprit: it’s that obvious.Wicked Little Lettersis a movie that loses itself to recycled humor and underdevelopment in narrative areas but still, somehow, manages to find itself through top-tier performances from its ensemble cast and a spine of true British eccentricity.Wicked Little Letterswill premiere in the UK on Feb. 23 before an eventual US limited release around Mar. 29. The film will be released nationwide on Apr. 5.
