EntertainmentMoviesComedy MoviesOlivia Colman’s new foul-mouthed comedy has an unexpectedly nuanced darker sideWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesComedy MoviesOlivia Colman’s new foul-mouthed comedy has an unexpectedly nuanced darker sideWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Studiocanal)
Warning: mild spoilers for Wicked Little Letters ahead!
Rose is an outlier in Littlehampton. She’s raising a young daughter without a husband, she has an Irish accent, she loves sex and swearing – and she’s not so fond of Edith. We learn that the pair used to be friends, forging a mismatched but genuine bond when Rose first moved to England, but a particularly explosive disagreement about Edith’s desire to make her a “proper” lady promptly extinguished that relationship. A friendship breakup seems as good a reason as any to start an anonymous trail of vulgar insults, right? Well, not quite.
(Bad) language is liberation
(Image credit: Studiocanal)
It soon becomes apparent – and this isn’t a huge spoiler – that Edith is sending the letters to herself, and the crux of the movie shifts from unmasking the writer’s identity to proving that the victim is actually the culprit. Although Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan), the town’s only woman police officer, is more concerned with catching Edith in the act than unraveling her motives, the film moves past its comedy roots into much more interesting territory when it does just that.
Big Screen SpotlightShining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Big Screen Spotlight
Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Edith is the antithesis of Rose. She’s single, childless, and never moved out of the family home, living her life at the whims of her father (Timothy Spall) and his fits of rage. He belittles and patronizes her like clockwork, treating her as little more than a maidservant. The Bible provides some reprieve for Edith, but she finds more comfort in the self-righteousness this affords her than in the word of the Lord.
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Pandora’s box
(Image credit: Studiocanal)
Her self-inflicted hate mail serves a dual purpose: the letters are an outlet for her internalized rage, but they also push her into the spotlight as a sympathetic victim. Edith becomes a local celebrity, with the case spreading far beyond Littlehampton and getting coverage in the national press and even attention from lawmakers in Parliament.
Big Screen Spotlight(Image credit: A24)The Iron Claw is more than just a wrestling movie – it provides an insightful look at masculinity and toxic family dynamics
Big Screen Spotlight
(Image credit: A24)The Iron Claw is more than just a wrestling movie – it provides an insightful look at masculinity and toxic family dynamics
(Image credit: A24)
The Iron Claw is more than just a wrestling movie – it provides an insightful look at masculinity and toxic family dynamics
In Edith, director Thea Sharrock and screenwriter Jonny Sweet have created a much more nuanced character than the film would initially have you believe. Edith’s shame is crippling, internalized to the point where the cracks start to show and her whole pious facade of superiority is on the verge of caving in entirely.
Wicked Little Letters is out now in UK cinemas and will be released in US theaters on April 5. For more on what else you should be watching at the cinema, be sure to check out the rest of ourBig Screen Spotlightseries.
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”