When people in Littlehampton--including conservative local, Edith--begin receiving letters full of hilarious profanities, the rowdy, Irish migrant, Rose, is charged with the crime. Suspectin... Read allWhen people in Littlehampton--including conservative local, Edith--begin receiving letters full of hilarious profanities, the rowdy, Irish migrant, Rose, is charged with the crime. Suspecting that something is amiss, the town's women investigate.When people in Littlehampton--including conservative local, Edith--begin receiving letters full of hilarious profanities, the rowdy, Irish migrant, Rose, is charged with the crime. Suspecting that something is amiss, the town's women investigate.
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- 9 nominations total
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To be honest, the movie tricked me as I was expecting it to be one of those nice, light-hearted films, but it surprised me with its dramatic weight.
The performances by Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman were incredibly harmonious. The investigative atmosphere, the character of the police officer, and the content of the letters, along with the reactions of the people, are a quintessentially British and endearing style. The soundtrack was fantastic, especially how it dominates the scene and when it fades away.
I recommend watching it for fans of dark comedies and dramas without complications.
The tone problems all stem from the direction of the piece. Its great to see such a diverse cast, but that diversity of casting does a historical injustice to Karpal Kaur Sandhu who was the first serving Asian woman in the police, her story is truly heroic and tragic, and ignoring any racial tension in 1920's Britain is also anachronistic and fantastical. Those moments give the work an uneven tone, and the longer the movie goes on the more the direction lurches from a fun tone it something closer to what the movie can be.
The outstanding moments in this film come from Jessie Buckley, who like Maggie Smith in her younger years bursts onto the screen with energy and charisma. Olivia Coleman is always full of nuance and depth - those two central performances carry the movie. Anjana Vasan is charming and full of comic energy she is required to carry a part which has some very odd writing and character development. She does it like a star.
A very odd movie in some ways but worth you time if you can get over the anachronisms and the uneven tone.
'Wicked Little Letters' is fun. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley impress in lead roles, both managing to stand out just as much as the other - Colman is particularly perfectly cast. The rest of them merit praise as well, namely Anjana Vasan and Timothy Spall.
There isn't much more to note about this really and I don't mean that in a negative way whatsoever. It's all competently put together, as those onscreen bring this rather simple film to life - and I like those type of movies. Well worth a watch! Happy that I managed to catch it at the cinema on the big screen, always nice.
The narrative and themes within this are incredibly strong. By exploring how female behaviour was strictly controlled in a patriarchal and religious setting, the film emphasises the absurdity and hypocrisy in how 1920s women were treated. Jessie Buckley, Olivia Coleman, and Anjana Vasan make for an excellent leading trio!
Although, the cinematography and editing needed to be more adventurous. It could have visually reflected the personality of each of the main trio, such as having Buckley's character scenes having more unconventional visuals. This is only a slight criticism though. Please check this one out if you are not adversed to swearing!
The movie at once both addresses distrust of the "other" (especially considering how the English viewed the Irish) and people's tendency to dumb down their language to sound "appropriate". One scene in particular seems to say "well that felt good". I wouldn't call it a masterpiece - especially when you read about the inaccuracies - but it's got some funny stuff. I suspect that deep down, a lot of Christians wish that they could spout all the profanities they want.
In addition to stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, it also has Anjana Vasan (from last year's season finale of "Black Mirror"), Timothy Spall (Wormtail in the Harry Potter movies) and Alisha Weir (the title character in the recent "Abigail").
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBritain's first women police constables were employed in 1915; an important example of women showing they were capable of doing previously exclusive "men's work" during the First World War and not standing down afterwards.
- GoofsThe sound of the judge banging a gavel is heard several times in the courtroom scenes. In England only auctioneers use gavels; judges have never done so.
- Quotes
[to her daughter, looking at the words Die Slut on her door]
Rose Gooding: It's German.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Project: Episode dated 22 March 2024 (2024)
- SoundtracksCrazy Blues
Written by Perry Bradford
Published by Universal/MCA Music Ltd. on behalf of Universal Music Corp.
Performed by Noble Sissle with Eubie Blake
Courtesy of Document Records
Licence by arrangement with Fine Gold Music
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Pequeñas Cartas Indiscretas
- Filming locations
- HMP Shepton Mallet, UK(Trailer, prison yard)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,008,179
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $76,654
- Mar 31, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $27,219,729
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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