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Wicked Little Letters

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Wicked Little Letters
Film poster
Directed byThea Sharrock
Written byJonny Sweet
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBen Davis
Edited byMelanie Oliver
Music byIsobel Waller-Bridge[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byStudioCanal
Release dates
  • 9 September 2023 (2023-09-09) (TIFF)
  • 23 February 2024 (2024-02-23) (United Kingdom)
Running time
100 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12.6 million[3]
Box office$16.7 million[4][5]

Wicked Little Letters is a 2023 British black comedy mystery film directed by Thea Sharrock, written by Jonny Sweet, and starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eileen Atkins, and Timothy Spall. Based on a true scandal, it follows an investigation into the anonymous author of numerous crudely insulting letters sent to the residents of seaside town Littlehampton.[6][7][8]

Wicked Little Letters premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom by StudioCanal on 23 February 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

In 1920s Littlehampton, England, devout Christian and unmarried Edith Swan lives with her controlling father Edward and gentle mother Victoria. Edith is distraught to have received 19 anonymous crude letters insulting her with profanities. Edward calls the local Police Constable Papperwick over and accuses their neighbour, Irish migrant and single mother Rose Gooding, as the author responsible because of similarities in language to Rose's foul-mouthed insults and attitude. Edith explains that she and Rose were initially friends when Rose moved into town despite their differences. However, their friendship ended due to Rose refusing to apologise for violently headbutting a guest at Edward's birthday party after an exchange of insults between the pair. Papperwick arrests Rose at the pub and she is eventually sent to Portsmouth Prison for a few months, dismissing her claims that she didn’t write them, leaving her daughter Nancy in the care of her new partner Bill.

Woman police officer Gladys Moss is sceptical that Rose is the culprit due to a lack of sufficient evidence and differences in handwriting. However, Chief Constable Spedding forbids her from partaking in the investigation. She decides to ask Edith questions about Rose and the letters and meets Edith's friend group at a women's Whist club ― Ann, Mabel and Kate. While Kate agrees with Edith that Rose is responsible, Mabel and Ann aren't convinced and admit to liking her. Mabel and Ann later bail her out of prison, reuniting her with Nancy and Bill. However, Edith receives yet another letter, leading Edward to confront Rose, who insists she didn't write it. Numerous other residents at Littlehampton, as well as throughout England, also start receiving the anonymous letters. Rose asks Gladys to investigate further to prove her innocence before an impending trial against her.

It is then revealed that Edith herself is the anonymous author of the letters, writing out vulgar profanities as a means of expressing her repressed anger towards the aggressive and controlling Edward. Edith writes another letter and mails it to herself. However, Victoria reads it and has a fatal heart attack. When Gladys gets Edith to sign the death certificate, she notices that the “G” in Edith's handwriting is similar to the ones on the letters (and on a sign she had written for her father in her childhood). Gladys' evidence is rejected by Spedding, who suspends her from the force for interfering in the investigation. Gladys instead recruits Ann for her own private investigation to catch Edith in the act of posting her letters.

At her trial, Rose affirms that she wouldn't risk writing the letters because she cares about her daughter and that she'd rather say the insults in person, knowing she's famous in the town for her vulgarities. Her defence counsel accuses Edith of being the author by pointing out the similar handwriting and the difference from Rose's. However, the prosecutor reveals Rose had lied that her husband had died in World War I, and that Nancy is illegitimate, upsetting Nancy.

The next day, knowing that Edith is only able to write one more letter before the trial ends, Gladys and Ann cook up invisible ink to use on a few stamps. Kate, who works at the post office, gives Edith the treated stamps. Meanwhile, Spedding and Papperwick go to arrest Rose early, but she flees. Edith posts a letter to the judge. Rose arrives and challenges Edith to say the same profanities in the letters towards her in public. The pillarbox is opened revealing Gladys's niece holding the letter, and a chemical reveals Edith's name on the stamp, exposing her in front of Spedding and Papperwick. Rose is set free, and Edith is arrested.

Edith expresses her regret to Rose that their friendship ended, saying she couldn't stop writing the letters. She publicly swears at Edward, finally expressing her anger towards him, before she is taken away to prison. She laughs to herself in the black maria as he recedes in the distance. A closing title card states that Rose was never charged with any more crimes, Edith spent over a year in prison, and Gladys's work as an officer would eventually be acknowledged by Littlehampton.

Cast

Production

The film was announced in May 2022, with Thea Sharrock set to direct, and Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley starring.[9] In September, the cast was rounded out with Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Gemma Jones and Eileen Atkins among the additions.[10]

Production began in September 2022 and continued till early October in Arundel and Worthing,[10][11] with some scenes filmed in and around the former Crown Court in Aylesbury. Ben Davis served as cinematographer.[12] Principal photography took place on Stage 1 of Pinewood Studios.[13][14]

Release

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023.[15][16]

In November 2023, Sony Pictures Classics acquired North American and Chinese distribution rights, after its sister company Stage 6 Films acquired international rights in various countries.[17]

The film was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 23 February 2024.[18]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 141 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Thanks largely to a strong cast that leans into the story's humorous side, Wicked Little Letters is a diverting comedy even if the mystery at its core isn't particularly clever."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[20]

The Telegraph's Robbie Collin awarded the film two stars out of five and summed up his review by stating "this British chocolate-box period comedy thinks that excessive swearing works as a substitute for a good plot – but it really doesn't."[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Isobel Waller-Bridge Scoring Thea Sharrock's 'Wicked Little Letters'". Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Wicked Little Letters (15)". BBFC. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.fcnp.com/2024/04/04/a-review-of-wicked-little-letters-in-theaters-now/amp/
  4. ^ "Wicked Little Letters (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 6 April 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ "Wicked Little Letters". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  6. ^ Hilliard, Christopher (2017). The Littlehampton Libels: A Miscarriage of Justice and a Mystery about Words in 1920s England. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192520258.
  7. ^ "Wicked Little Letters". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Libellous Letters in Littlehampton". West Sussex Record Office. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  9. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (14 May 2022). "Olivia Colman & Jessie Buckley Set To Reunite On Wicked Little Letters For Studiocanal, Three Billboards Outfit Blueprint & South Of The River Pictures — Cannes Market Hot Project". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (29 September 2022). "Olivia Colman & Jessie Buckley Underway On Wicked Little Letters; Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Joanna Scanlan, Malachi Kirby Among Cast To Join". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  11. ^ Fox, Thomas (4 October 2022). "Olivia Colman and other stars seen on Wicked Little Letters film set in Arundel". Sussex Live. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Ben Davis BSC". Independent Talent. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Wicked Little Letters". Pinewood Group. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  14. ^ Gant, Charles (9 September 2023). "TIFF spotlight: 'Wicked Little Letters' filmmakers on bringing a 1920s poison-pen letters scandal to life". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  15. ^ "StudioCanal, Film 4, Blueprint Pictures & South of the River Pictures' Wicked Little Letters announce world premiere at Toronto Film Festival 2023. First look image released and UK release date confirmed". StudioCanal (Press release). 24 July 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (24 July 2023). "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders 'Dumb Money', 'The Holdovers', 'Rustin'; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  17. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (3 November 2023). "Sony Pictures Classics Buys Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley-Led 'Wicked Little Letters' Following TIFF Debut". Variety. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Sony Pictures Classics Takes North America, China On Olivia Colman-Jessie Buckley Picture 'Wicked Little Letters'". Deadline. 3 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Wicked Little Letters". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Wicked Little Letters Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  21. ^ Collin, Robbie (22 February 2024). "Wicked Little Letters: Olivia Colman drops the F-bomb – to tiresome effect". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
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