Wicker (2026 | USA, UK, Australia | 106 minutes | Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson)

Once upon a time, in a village far, far away, there was a lonely Fisherwoman, a spinster isolated from her community for being viewed as unattractive, smelly, and altogether undesirable. That is until she approaches the Basket Weaver and asks him to craft her a husband made of wicker. Soon she is the happiest woman in the entire village (and certainly the most sexually satisfied).

Such is the premise for Wicker, a new romantic fantasy starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård as the would-be happiest couple in the land.

But no fairy tale is complete without some tension before we can get to a “happily ever after,” and not everyone is happy for the Fisherwoman. In fact, few are. The women are envious of the doting and charming wicker man and compare their husbands unfavorably, and the men uniformly feel inferior. And then there’s the Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki) who does not like this business one bit.

The Tailor’s Wife resents Fisherwoman’s happiness and believes her sudden good fortune is unnatural and perverse believes her sudden good fortune is unnatural and perverse (though the couple seems perfectly content with missionary). She confronts Fisherwoman and says her husband has been unfaithful and with every woman in town. When the Fisherwoman slaps the Tailor’s Wife, she retreats until she’s given an opportunity too ripe to pass up. Her sister, the Bottlewasher’s Wife (Marli Siu), approaches the Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage) for a Wicker Baby, providing the Tailor’s Wife with what appears to be proof of the Wicker Husband’s infidelity. Never mind that no one, including the Bottlewasher himself, seems to recall his wife ever being pregnant.

As peculiar as its premise may be, Wicker has a surprising amount to say about love, marriage, and the lengths people will go to find happiness (or prevent others from enjoying it). The film also benefits from a cast that fully embraces its bonkers story. Olivia Colman is one of the most consistently good actors working on screen today. Alexander Skarsgård brings a lot of charm and charisma to a role in which we never see his face. I also appreciated that the men are named by their professions and the women are named in relation to their husbands’ jobs.

Wicker is a strange, funny, and surprisingly touching little fairy tale that manages to be both ridiculous and thoughtful. It’s an unusual love story that doesn’t always go where you’d expect. In my alternate version of The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man wants a heart, and the Fisherwoman wants a decent husband.

_____________________________________

Wicker opens in theaters today, October 23, 2026.