I loved Wicked Little Letters. I loved the raunchy Shakespearean curses, I loved the cast, I loved the humor, I loved the wacky feminine urge to resist the patriarchy. It is a complete delight.
Let’s start with the wonderful cast of Wicked Little Letters. Edith (Olivia Colman) is a churchgoing spinster who lives with her controlling father (Timothy Spall) and her cowed mother (Gemma Jones). She does everything exactly the way her father wants it done and quotes religious nonsense for every situation.
Rose (Jessie Buckley), her man Bill (Malachi Kirby), and her daughter Nancy (Alisha Weir) move in next door. Rose is wild and free. She drinks. She curses. She smokes. She goes to the bar. She’s uncontrollable.
Edith was charmed by Rose at first. It didn’t last long. Edith was receiving letters full of foul insults. Are you ready? Here’s a direct quote: “You fucking old steaming bag of wet leaking shit! Your fucking ass is bigger than the moon and your cat wants a good fucking burning, too! I reckon. You stupid big stinker! You mangy old titless turnip…”
The only person to blame such language on was Rose.
Constable Paperwick (Hugh Skinner) investigated – sort of. He was basically an idiot. It was a perfect role for Hugh Skinner because he is hilarious just standing in front of a camera doing nothing. The Constable blamed it on Rose, too.
But wait! There’s Woman Police Officer Moss (Anjana Vasan) in the police department. (Impossible in 1920s England, but possible here.) She realizes immediately that Rose is not guilty. She’s the smart one, but nobody will listen to her because she’s a Woman Police Officer. Anjana Vasan is proving to be one of the best actors in England of late, even when she’s in a movie with stars like this who theoretically should outshine her. They don’t.
The town was flooded with raucously insulting letters. A women’s whisk group teamed up with Officer Moss to catch the real culprit while Rose was on trial.
The whist players were Kate (Lolly Adefope), Mabel (Eileen Atkins), and Ann (Joanna Scanlan). Kate always dressed in her late husband’s postal worker uniform. Ann was a pig farmer and usually covered in filth. They were an awesome team.
Wicked Little Letters is loosely based on a true story. The film was directed by Thea Sharrock, who knows how to burn down the patriarchy 1920s style. The case of the mysterious letters laced with obscenities captured the entire country’s attention.
This marvel of a movie is streaming on Prime Video. If you watch it, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Just saw Wicked Little Letters on your recommendation and you have – again – described the movie perfectly. This will be one of my favorite movies of the year because it is a “small” movie yet strongly impactful. There were no superheroes, just “sheroes” to face entrenched obstacles and win. All while being funny. The cathartic ending is unforgettable!
So happy you found my review helpful! Thanks for the comment.