A war of words
When profanities fly and a mystery deepens, there’s foul play ahead
Here’s something a little different, then. Actually, make that a lot different.
How so? Well, Wicked Little Letters takes two of the best actresses of the modern era, and has them using some of the worst words in the history of the English language.
Fret not. The movie is not here to burn your ears, nor stain your vocabulary.
Oscar-winning star Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and her equally accomplished counterpart Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose) have their reasons for swearing so hard and so often.
Wicked Little Letters is based on a true story, you see. A true story in which the humble insult – whether it be spoken or written – is wielded as a devastating weapon.
An amusing comedy of (bad) manners, Wicked Little Letters opens in the quaint little British seaside town of Littlehampton in the early 1920s.
For some time, someone has been giving poor Edith Swan (Colman) a tremendous trolling through the local post.
Why anyone would send this pious homebody who still lives with her parents (Timothy Spall and Gemma Jones) such filthy correspondence is not immediately clear.
Nevertheless, after Miss Swan’s letterbox receives a 19th naughty envelope, a suspect is conveniently identified, and an arrest is made.
Edith’s near-neighbour Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) certainly profiles as a profane author. She’s Irish, she’s a single mum, she can drink like a fish, fight like a bloke, and cuss like a wharfie.
Oh, and Edith and Rose were almost friends once upon a time. Until there was some kind of falling out. Case closed? Yep, that should just about do it.
Not so if you are local police officer Constable Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan). Her take on proceedings: Rose just doesn’t seem the type to hide behind a veil of anonymity. There has got to be more to the story, believes Moss.
Sure enough, the lewd letters just keep on coming. Only now, people all over the village are receiving them.
The rest of Wicked Little Letters fudges around with a modestly challenging mystery that the likes of a Hercule Poirot could solve inside 60 seconds.
However, the lively language in play – particularly when Colman and Buckley share the screen – and some shrewdly relevant commentary about the cowardice of not putting your own name to your opinions makes this quite a spicily satisfactory affair.
Wicked Little Letters screens in special previews in selected cinemas through Sunday (check local guides for session times). Opens in general release next week