Described as a "comedic fable," the fantastical romantic comedy Wicker finally has a release date. The film premiered at this year's Sundance, where it was acquired by Black Bear. Now the studio has announced a segmented October release.
Academy Award winner Olivia Colman stars as Fisherwoman, an outcast in a medieval English village. Her loneliness drivers her to ask a local weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband out of wicker. When it comes to life, it upends the entire town. In a win for handmade effects, Alexander Skarsgård plays the creation in a fully practical suit, designed by WETA and Joe Dunckley.
The film's creative team includes Oscar-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley (The Brutalist), production designer Renátó Cseh (Poor Things), and film editor Sofi Marshall (I Saw the TV Glow). Joining the cast are Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth Debicki, both of whom are perfect for this kind of project. Husband-and-wife team Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson mark their second feature together, after the charming sci-fi romp Save Yourselves! from 2020.
Wicker will debut in select theaters on October 23 before expanding wide one week later.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
