Wicked Little Letters. 2024
Written and Directed by Thea Sharrock.
Starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eileen Atkins, Timothy Spall, Hugh Skinner, Paul Chahidi, Alisha Weir, Grant Crookes, Adam Treasure, Jonny Sweet, Tim Key, Jason Watkins, Richard Goulding, Cyril Nri, and Tim McMullan.
SYNOPSIS:
When people in Littlehampton–including conservative local Edith–begin to receive letters full of hilarious profanities, rowdy Irish migrant Rose is charged with the crime. Suspecting that something is amiss, the town’s women investigate.
A true story recently unearthed, director Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters centers on the small town of Littlehampton post-World War I undergoing a scandal that sees poison-penned letters showing up in people’s mail, presenting a mystery as to who is responsible. The reality of what’s happening is mostly predictable, which makes it somewhat uninteresting when the third act exclusively becomes about catching the culprit in the act. Everything prior is compelling for what’s going on underneath the surface regarding the characters in this place and time, femininity and women’s line of socially acceptable behavior, gender dynamics, law enforcement conduct, and at least one major reveal that does catch one by surprise.
The majority of these mostly humorous and absurd (but perhaps genuinely nasty for the time) letters go to devout Christian Edith Swan (the ever-reliable Olivia Colman, capably handling the complexity of the character and her tricky, internally confused arc), living at home with her domineering, angry father Edward (a temperamental Timothy Spall) and mother Victoria (Gemma Jones), pearl-clutching at the obscenities written inside (there is a promotional still perfectly capturing that beat of Olivia Colman’s performance in such a manner that it practically sells the movie better that any review ever could.)
The uptight Edith has been turned into a sympathetic martyr despite her misgivings as a person, whereas Jessie Buckley’s brazenly outspoken, boisterous single mother, Rose Gooding, has ended up right next door, fleeing Ireland after her husband died in the war. Rose tells the police officer point-blank that she has no reason to write any of these letters, bold enough to say what’s on her mind to someone’s face. That doesn’t push the team into doing due diligence, locking Rose up briefly before some skeptical women foot her bail and go forward with investigating. It’s also noticeable to anyone (or at least anyone with a foul mouth) that the brand of cursing in the letters doesn’t necessarily match up with what Rose or anyone experienced with insultingly swearing up a storm might actually say.
This also means that some of the letters, which are nonetheless amusing whenever characters are reading them (and might have been funnier if subtitles were accompanying some of the heavy accents during these tirades), lack a so-called wicked bite. For narrative reasons, off-kilter phrasing and word choice are part of the point. Nevertheless, Wicked Little Letters (from a screenplay by Jonny Sweet) sometimes leans too far into the humor when the reasoning behind the scandal, who is responsible, and why they continue to do it even when a diligent woman police officer named Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) is close to exposing the individual.
However, there is a talented ensemble livening up the proceedings. The approach here might be too light and safe and miss out on some character depth, but Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley are skilled enough (especially when acting alongside one another) to elevate the material. It’s an energetic, chaotic role for Jessie Buckley, especially, who juggles trying to set a good example for her daughter while sticking to her unapologetic crassness.
Wicked Little Letters is most compelling when the scandal functions as a way into the personal lives and secrets of its two lead characters and less as a larger mystery. It could stand to be a little more wicked, but it is certainly fun enough and has some substance aiding the potty-mouth humor.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
