WICKED LITTLE LETTERS reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Thea Sharrock
Stars: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall, Anjana Vasan, Gemma Jones, Eileen Atkins, Joanna Scanlan, Lolly Adefope, Alicia Weir, Hugh Skinner, Paul Chahidi, Malachi Kirby.
This engaging, hugely entertaining and outrageous mix of comedy and drama is based on a true story about an obscene letter writing scandal that happened in the small, sleepy seaside English town of Littlehampton in the 1920s. It once again proves that truth is often stranger than fiction.
Edith Swan (Oscar winner Olivia Colman, from The Favorite, etc) is a middle-aged God-fearing spinster who lives at home with her aged father Edward (Timothy Spall, from Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies, etc) and devoutly religious mother Victoria (Gemma Jones). For several weeks though Edith has been the recipient of some anonymous obscene letters containing crude invectives and trashing her character. Edith and her father begin to suspect that their next-door neighbour Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley, from Wild Rose, etc), a free-spirited single mother with a fondness for drink, speaking her mind and swearing, is responsible.
Rose and Edith used to be friends but have had a falling out over a number of trivial disputes, including her rather loud bouts of love making, their shared outdoor privvy and bathtubs. Edith suspects Rose of being the author of the poisoned letters even if there is no proof. Edward forces the chief constable Spedding (Paul Chahidi) to investigate the letters and charge Rose. Rose is protective of her young daughter Nancy (Alicia Weir), and if sent to prison she could lose custody.
However, policewoman Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan, from tv series We Are Lady Parts, etc), one of the first female police officers in Britain, is not convinced of Rose’s guilt and sets out to investigate, despite being warned off by the condescending Spedding. Gladys has a bit of a rebellious streak and is resentful of being sidelined and demeaned by her male colleagues. She enlists the help of a couple of eccentric locals in Ann (Joanna Scanlan), Mabel (Eileen Atkins) and postal worker Kate (Lolly Adefope) to help.
Actor turned screenwriter Johnny Sweet (Johnny English Strikes Back, etc) does take a few liberties with the story for dramatic purposes here but apparently most of the details are accurate. He has crafted an engaging comedy that moves along at a fair pace and delivers some broad laughs and the film channels the spirit of those classic Ealing comedies of yesteryear. The script also works in themes about gender, sexism, racism, the attitudes towards women in the early part of the twentieth century, religion, small town gossip and secrets, and how trolls can hide behind anonymity, which give the material a contemporary resonance. The film moves along at a fair pace thanks to the deft direction of theatre veteran Thea Sharrock, who has extensive experience also directing television dramas such as Call The Midwife, etc.
Colman revels in the character of the prim and proper Edith and she has a ball mouthing the series of obscenities when reading the invective-filled letters aloud. Buckley is excellent and brings a feisty quality to her performance as Rose. Buckley and Colman make for an odd couple dynamic, but they also share a prickly and lively chemistry. Vasan is also good as the determined and clever Gladys, determined to prove herself. Spall is also terrific as the blustering, controlling and bullying Edward, an unsympathetic character.
Cristina Casali’s production design is superb and captures the era well, bringing the picturesque town to life, as does Charlotte Walker’s costumes. The cinematography from Ben Davis (The Banshees Of Inisherin, etc) is crisp and gives us a strong sense of place.
★★★☆
