Brilliant Buckley steals the show in this bawdy tale
Wicked Little Letters (M, 100 mins) Directed by Thea Sharrock Reviewed by James Croot **** ½
‘You mangy old titless turnip.” The contents of the latest invectivefilled document delivered to 65 Western Rd might be upsetting for Edith Swan (Olivia Colman), but it’s one of the more milder missives to have landed through her door.
For some time now, the Littlehampton resident been receiving these anonymous poison pen letters, much to the chagrin of her father Edward (Timothy Spall).
“What sort of person does this?” he rages, shouting to anyone within earshot that the abuse is causing Edith sleepless nights, even as she reminds him that “by my suffering, do I not move closer to heaven?”.
While the epistles are unsigned, both Edward and Edith have strong suspicions as to their author. Next-door neighbour Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) has been trouble ever since her arrival from Ireland. A single mother regularly seen “with feet as bare as goose eggs and straggly hair”, she’s everything Edward, in particular, feared “would come from the Emerald Isle after the war”.
Edith had thought she might be able to help her make a fresh start, but Rose’s high spirits, poor housekeeping, alcohol consumption and “the language she used, out loud, indoors, on a Wednesday” all became too much, even for the most pious and patient of souls. Then, there was the headbutt Rose delivered at a gathering for Edward’s birthday.
By the time the 19th letter arrives, Edward has had enough. Alerting child protection services to domestic disturbances at No 67, he then demands the local police charge Rose with libel.
However, while most of the officers are convinced by his evidence, Woman Police Constable Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) isn’t quite so sure.
Not only does the cursive not match other examples she’s seen of Rose’s penmanship, but she’s persuaded by Rose’s protests of innocence, especially her claims that “why would I send anonymous letters to someone I tear strips off on the street?”
While delightfully unfolding as a kind of Ealing comedy-meets-Carry On film, this brilliantly bawdy period dramedy of women (and men) behaving badly is, as the opening title card reminds us, “more true than you’d think”.
It’s based on the scandal that stunned 1920s England, the investigation and subsequent trial attracting journalists from France, private investigators from Sweden and a psychic from Canada – all determined to definitively crack the case, regardless of the verdict the court handed down.
Actor-turned-writer Jonny Sweet and director Thea Sturrock (Me Before You, The One and Only Ivan) do a terrific job of creating a very specific sense of space and place, while also making this centuryold contretemps feel very much like the forerunner to the modern-day malaise of social media trolling. This is the 1920 equivalent of Wagatha Christie.
And while Sweet mines plenty of mirth out of the sometimes spectacularly wild and nonsensical abusive notes, there’s plenty to delight those with a penchant for physical comedy. While this Littlehampton is filled with colourful characters, it’s a quartet of performances that really gets you engrossed in the twists and turns of this roisterous ride.
Spall (The Changeover, The Last Bus) is a hoot as a blustering patriarch, Vasan (We Are Lady Parts) impresses as a policewoman on a mission to prove her worth and Colman (Landscapers, Empire of Light) makes full use of her gurning abilities and trademark wicked sense of humour to bring to life the complicated Edith.
But, for me, it’s Buckley (Women Talking, The Courier) who steals the show.
Whether defending her honour, lashing out at her accusers or plotting her revenge, her Rose is a bundle of nervous energy whose every word and action seems both unpredictable and utterly captivating.
A sometimes manic mystery, a compelling character study and a crowdpleasing courtroom drama all rolled into one, Little Letters is truly wicked fun.