Wicked Little Letters

Just about everyone loves a good mystery, but, in the case of director Thea Sharrock’s latest, viewers are treated to one that’s both intriguing and utterly hilarious. Based on a true story, this delightfully offbeat offering tells the head-scratching tale of a small seaside community in 1920s England in which residents begin receiving anonymously sent letters filled with graphic profanity of a highly colorful and creative nature. The chief suspect is a recently arrived salty-tongued Irish immigrant (Jessie Buckley) who never hesitates to speak her mind or act out when she thinks it appropriate. The primary recipient is her neighbor, a cheery but conservative Christian woman (Olivia Colman), a prim and proper spinster who lives with her stern, judgmental father (Timothy Spall) and elderly, faint-of-heart mother (Gemma Jones). But is the accused really at fault? When a plucky, resourceful policewoman (Anjana Vasan) who’s supposed to stay out of the investigation gets involved, she uncovers evidence that circumstances may not be what they seem. The result is a sidesplitting thriller with loads of twists, turns and misdirections, a clever, original and outrageously waggish release that will tickle the funny bone of anyone who appreciates the wit and wisdom of good, old-fashioned, foul-mouthed cursing (sensitive viewers take note). The positively superb ensemble cast is outstanding across the board, particularly among the aforementioned principals, as well as a host of flamboyant supporting players. It’s obvious that everyone involved in this production had to have had fun making this film, and it shines through loud and clear in the finished product. There are a few sequences where the pacing drags slightly, but who cares? “Wicked Little Letters” is such a good time watch that you won’t really care. What’s perhaps most intriguing, though, is that this is a fact-based story – one that garnered national attention at the time – that had largely been lost to time but that, thankfully, has been brought back to life through this deliciously devious indie gem. Hell, yeah!

"Edith" (Olivia Colman) is the daughter of the respectable "Swan" family who live a God-fearing life under the aegis of father "Edward" (Timothy Spall) and mother "Victoria" (Gemma Jones). A letter arrives and they gather round the table in trepidation. This isn't the first such letter and it causes dad to head straight to the police station to demand that they arrest their new next door neighbour. She's quite a contrast to the "Swan" prim and proper existence. "Rose" (Jessie Buckley) is a fairly foul mouthed single parent who calls a spade a spade and after befriending "Edith" initially, seems to have earned her enmity. It's not just "Edith", though - most of this community of small-minded hypocrites take the same view and with jail looking increasingly likely, she needs help! Now that comes from the most unlikely of quarters as a few of the villagers, and disgruntled woman police officer "Moss" (Anjana Vasan) decide that this is all just too convenient, and that they are going to find out who really did write these heinous and obnoxious letters - a task worthy of "Miss Marple" herself... I found it pretty easy to guess who the culprit was, but the knowing doesn't really impact on this rather joyous romp through a society of double standards and bigotry. The language is ripe but even when at it's most objectionable, it's always quite funny to think what genuinely might have shocked a generation of bible-bashers and bridge-players. There's quite a fun sub-plot with Dame Eileen Atkins, Joanna Scanlan and Lolly Adefope to help keep the mischief rolling along nicely, the police force are well represented in the haplessness stakes by Hugh Skinner and Paul Chahidi and, oh - of course "Rose" has a black boyfriend "Bill" (Malachi Kirby) just to further antagonise her less than worldly brethren. It's a good laugh this - not a guffaw, but it raises quite a few smiles and both Buckley and Colman have quite some comedy timing.

If you can bring yourself about to ignore blatant agenda-promoting unhistorical propaganda such as: * All the protagonist’s friends being women * An incredibly unhistorical proportion of colored people * All men in the film presented as prejudiced, misogynistic, evil, morons with the sole exception of the protagonist’s partner, who is of course of African descent, and who is still presented as undecisive, coward and unworthy to rely upon, but eventually manages to do the right thing * The police officer who actually gets the job done being a woman and on top of that, of Indian descent * The judge being of African descent. (I could barely hold my laughs at that point; I bet it would be hard to find a single colored judge in the whole British Empire back then) Then it’s not a bad film. Very nice cinematography and acting at the usual high British standards.