Wicker Opens: Olivia Colman Falls for Alexander Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband

Wicker, the Sundance comedic fable starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, opens in limited release today. Black Bear will expand it nationwide on October 30, according to TheWrap.

The Premise

The film follows an ostracized fisherwoman, played by Colman, who commissions a husband made of wicker from a local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage. Her romance with the creation, played by Skarsgård, stirs jealousy and threatens the village’s social order. TheWrap’s synopsis calls it a comedic fable about sex, marriage and social convention.

Reviewers have pinned down the setting more loosely. Dennis Schwartz describes a medieval coastal English village, while NME says the time and place are distinctly fudged by the directors. The film runs 105 minutes, according to Screen Daily and Little White Lies.

Two Directors, One Short Story

Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer directed and wrote the film, which is based on the short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills-Jones. The filmmakers previously brought the sci-fi comedy Save Yourselves! to Sundance in 2020, according to Black Bear’s announcement and HeyUGuys.

Screen Daily lists Lol Crawley as cinematographer, Renato Cseh as production designer, Sofi Marshall as editor and Anna Meredith as composer. TheWrap, in its review, calls the film a loving yet laborious adaptation of the source story.

The Ensemble

The cast also includes Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan and, per Wikipedia, Richard E. Grant. Wikipedia notes Dev Patel was initially attached to the Wicker Husband role before Skarsgård. Screen Daily’s review, which calls the film the pair’s second feature, also lists Richard E. Grant alongside Dinklage and Debicki. Black Bear’s announcement describes the ensemble as led by Academy Award winner Colman, Golden Globe winner Skarsgård and Emmy winners Dinklage and Debicki.

From Park City to Theaters

Wicker premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, and Black Bear acquired North American rights in February at the European Film Market, per Wikipedia. Black Bear’s announcement, dated February 17, says the film earned rave reviews and a double standing ovation at its festival debut. Black Bear’s Benjamin Kramer called the film “bold, entertaining and totally unlike anything else,” TheWrap reports. TheWrap has also reported that the film added 4DX screenings because of fan demand.

The UK release is October 30, according to Wikipedia, and NME’s review, published on October 23, lists the same date for British cinemas.

What Critics Said at Sundance

Critical reaction has been favorable overall but not uniform. Screen Daily called the film wickedly funny and delightfully romantic, and Little White Lies gave it four stars, calling it a swooning comic fairy-tale with a large side of spice. Awards Watch rated it B+ and described a fun, bawdy fable, while The Harvard Crimson gave it 4.5 stars and wrote that it begins as an absurdist fairy tale before turning into a messy yet endearing story of love, desire and jealousy.

Other critics were cooler. TheWrap’s review called the film well-intentioned but wooden, arguing that the premise of a woman asking for a literal wicker husband is more fun in description than in practice. The Free Press Journal gave it three stars and called it a bawdy fantasy comedy that works as a pointed satire of patriarchy, sexual dissatisfaction and the low expectations attached to marriage. Slug Magazine noted that the directors use a deliberate pace that plays slowly at times but effectively captures the drudgery of the community.

The Performances in Focus

Several reviews single out the central pairing. Screen Daily identifies Colman’s character only as The Fisherwoman, and Dennis Schwartz describes her as a smelly outcast. Lainey Gossip’s review credits Skarsgård with combining physical stiffness with emotional softness in the title role, and a viewer-oriented review on Awesomeitv says Colman does a great job of showing her character’s vulnerability as she deals with unexpected love.

Little White Lies, for its part, observes that none of the couples in the village are truly in love, which is the background against which the fisherwoman’s relationship with her wicker husband plays out. A headline carried by Ground News from the festival, meanwhile, quotes Skarsgård as saying he is not really comfortable playing a righteous character, a remark made while discussing the demands of playing a man made of wicker.

Trailer and Marketing

The Playlist published the film’s trailer on July 30, framing it around Colman commissioning Skarsgård as her perfect husband. Variety India’s review of the trailer says it promises a theatrical escape in October that balances cozy folklore with wicked satire, which matches the October limited release and the October 30 nationwide expansion.

Reading the Latest Review

NME published its review on the day the film opened, calling it quirky and one of the stranger releases of 2026, and offering a shorthand comparison to Monty Python crossed with Beauty and the Beast. Its headline describes the film as the year’s most bizarre. Moveable Fest, meanwhile, praised the craftsmanship, citing the costumes and the lovingly built thatch huts that reflect a seriousness of intent.