Wicker: A Genuinely Strange Film

I read the premise of this movie three times before I believed I understood it correctly. Olivia Colman plays a lonely fisherwoman who commissions a husband woven entirely out of wicker. That's the actual plot. And somehow, this thing earned a double standing ovation at Sundance and a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which tells me either everyone at that premiere was extremely kind, or this movie is doing something genuinely special. Having dug into it, I'm now convinced it's the latter.

The detail that actually sold me on this being serious, not a joke

Here's the thing that changed my mind about this being a gimmick film: they didn't use CGI for the wicker husband at all. Alexander Skarsgård's entire character was built as a fully practical suit by Weta Workshop, the same design house behind Avatar and The Lord of the Rings. People have already started comparing the tactile, handwoven craftsmanship to Jim Henson's old Creature Shop work, and honestly, that's exactly the right comparison. There's a specific kind of magic that comes from a physical, touchable creature effect that CGI has never quite replicated, and committing to that for a premise this odd tells me the filmmakers actually believed in what they were making, rather than treating it as a punchline.

Why the Sundance reception genuinely surprised me

A double standing ovation, once when the credits rolled and again when the cast walked on stage, isn't something that happens for a film people are just being polite about. Audiences don't fake that kind of reaction twice in one screening. Combined with Olivia Colman's track record of making genuinely strange material work — she can sell almost anything with total conviction — and a script from the Save Yourselves! duo, who already know how to make an absurd premise feel emotionally real, I think this has real teeth underneath the odd logline.

What I think this movie is actually about, beneath the strange premise

The official description calls it "an audacious comedic fable about sex, marriage, and the absurdities of social convention," and reading between the lines, I think the wicker husband is doing exactly what a good fable device should do — standing in for something real about how women are expected to accept whatever partner is available to them, and what happens when something unexpectedly better than that arrives and threatens to upend an entire community's comfortable assumptions. It's a strange enough hook to draw you in and a real enough theme underneath to keep you there.

The cast has me genuinely curious how each of them plays this

Peter Dinklage as the basketmaker who actually builds the husband is a role I can't stop thinking about, since it puts him at the emotional center of a genuinely bizarre love triangle without him being either romantic lead directly. Elizabeth Debicki rounds out a cast that's stacked well beyond what a film this strange would typically attract, which again signals to me that people read this script and saw something worth genuinely committing to, not just a curiosity.

Am I actually excited, or just fascinated?

Both, honestly, in equal measure. I don't know if this will be one of my favorite films of the year, but I'm genuinely more curious about Wicker than almost anything else releasing this October, precisely because it's not trying to be a safe bet. Original, hard-to- categorize films like this are increasingly rare, and one succeeding specifically because of its craft and commitment, rather than despite its absurdity, is exactly the kind of theatrical experience worth showing up for.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wicker based on a book? It's based on a short story, "The Wicker Husband" by Ursula Wills-Jones, not a full novel.

How is the wicker husband character created without CGI? Weta Workshop built Alexander Skarsgård's entire character as a practical, handwoven suit rather than relying on visual effects.

Where did Wicker premiere? At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a double standing ovation.

When does Wicker release in theaters? October 23, 2026, in select theaters, expanding nationwide October 30.

Looking for something equally original to watch in the meantime?

Our movie recommendation quiz can help you find something matched to your mood, especially if genuinely offbeat, original stories are what you're after.