Olivia Colman has left fans baffled after the trailer dropped for her new film Wicker, a fantasy romance described as "vulgar, horny yet unexpectedly heartwarming."
The film follows Colman as a lonely fisherwoman whose love life is derailed by her persistent fishy odour. Desperate for companionship, she asks the village basket weaver, played by Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones, to build her a husband out of wicker. The creation, played by Alexander Skarsgard, comes to life and proves so irresistible that he ignites jealousy throughout the village, threatening to upend the social order.
The trailer opens with a racy scene before flashing back to show how Colman's character became the subject of village mockery due to her single status. Dinklage's basketmaker then spends a month weaving her a husband, who marries her in a chapel. A second explicit scene follows as Colman undresses the wicker man.
The supporting cast includes Phil Daniels of Quadrophenia, Richard E. Grant of Saltburn, and Elizabeth Debicki of The Crown. The villagers grow obsessed with the couple, with the men wanting the wicker man gone and the women drawn to him.
Fan Reaction
Viewers flooded the comment section after the trailer's release. One wrote that Colman "will not do a normal movie and i live for that." Another said: "You know what? Fair play to her. I'm not going to judge the lady for wanting a hot monster husband." Others called it "perfect casting" and said they were excited to see it.
Some fans drew comparisons to Wicked, in which the Wicked Witch Elphaba is in love with the Scarecrow, and to The Shape of Water, in which a lonely janitor falls for an amphibious creature.
What the Cast Said
Debicki said her character, the Tailor's wife, is deeply unhappy without knowing it, until she watches the fisherwoman make a very different choice about her life, which completely unravels her own sense of self.
Dinklage said his basketmaker is also an outsider, like the fisherwoman, which gives him an affection for her, and that he does not even notice the smell.
Colman said the script ranks in her top three favourites she has ever read.
The film is based on Ursula Wills' short story, The Wicker Husband, and premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January, where it earned a 91 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Monster Romance Trend
The film arrives amid a broader surge in so-called monster romance, a genre that found a massive audience among Gen Z readers through platforms like TikTok and Goodreads. Popular titles in the genre include C.M. Nascosta's Morning Glory Milking Farm and Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians series.
Industry expert Julianne Buonocore, who founded book publication The Literary Lifestyle, said the genre took off after the success of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which opened the door for monster books on TikTok. She said the books particularly appeal to readers just over 18.
Romance author Nola Saint James, who is also a rabbi, said that in order to be classified as a romance, a story must have a happy ending, and that the specific details, whether monsters, aliens, or shape shifters, matter less than the satisfying resolution of the central problem. She added that these fantasy worlds can help readers cope with a complex and chaotic world by giving threatening forces a manageable shape.
Wicker is scheduled for release on October 23 in the United States and October 30 in the United Kingdom.
