Wicker

Dir. Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson · 2026 · 105 min · in cinemas

The setup

Olivia Colman plays a fisherwoman, an outcast in a medieval-style coastal village where people are known by their jobs and their marriages. She is mocked by the village women, and she goes to the basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) and asks him to make her a husband. What comes back, according to the reviews, is the Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård): a man woven from willow, gentle and devoted, and entirely flammable. Elizabeth Debicki plays the tailor's wife, the village's enforcer of order, and Richard E. Grant turns up as the village doctor. That is the first act; the film's trouble and its fun both start from there.

The film is adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones's short story The Wicker Husband. Fischer and Wilson wrote and directed it, Lol Crawley shot it, Anna Meredith composed the music, and the Wicker Husband's practical effects and prosthetics were designed by Joe Dunckley of Weta Workshop. It premiered at Sundance in January 2026.

A fable critics mostly like

This verdict is built from published reviews. They lean warm: one round-up reports the film at well north of 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But the cooler reviews are specific, and they all say the same thing, that the joke stretches thin.

What works

Colman gets the loudest praise. Awards Watch enjoys seeing her leave the dignified roles she is best known for for something unrefined and comic, and the Crimson says the performances, hers and Debicki's especially, carry the film. Skarsgård's gentle take on the Wicker Husband is called a departure from his usual roles, and the practical design is described as both unsettling and beautiful. TheWrap, otherwise cool, says Dinklage steals every scene he gets.

filthy and funny, surprising and weird.

Karen Peterson, Awards Watch

What doesn't

The cooler reviews describe a thin idea. TheWrap's Chase Hutchinson finds a film that is earnest and well acted but stiff, and says what it lacks most is magic. Dennis Schwartz finds the bawdy humour often isn't funny, the pacing drags and the tone is uneven between adult fable and moralistic tale about outsiders. Even the Crimson, which loves it, calls a satirical subplot about the village's marriage customs at times too blunt, and says the Wicker Husband has little motivation beyond devotion.

Is this for you?

Tap whatever is true. There is no right answer; the film is a bet on how you feel about each of these.

Who it's for

Viewers who like their fairy tales earthy, who will follow Colman, Skarsgård and Dinklage into something odd, and who can forgive a premise that runs thin. If you want real enchantment or a story that keeps surprising you, the cooler critics are worth listening to. We land at three and a half out of five: the performances and the design are the draw, and the doubts about the middle are real.

Where to watch

It opens in selected US cinemas on 23 October, with other territories to follow. Release dates and availability vary by country, so check your local listings.

Sources

• TheWrap review (Chase Hutchinson)
• Awards Watch review (Karen Peterson)
• The Harvard Crimson review (Sara R. Eyjolfsdottir)
• Dennis Schwartz Reviews
• CinemaBlend review round-up (Limelight and others)
• Wikipedia: Wicker (film) (credits, runtime, release)