- Title: Wicked Little Letters
- IMDb: link
Inspired by true events, Wicked Little Letters takes us back to the seaside town of Littlehampton in West Sussex which was turned upside down in the 1920s by a barrage of hate mail to a local spinster (Olivia Colman) whose controlling father (Timothy Spall) blames on their Irish immigrant neighbor (Jessie Buckley) known for her bawdy behavior and near-constant swearing that is mirrored in the letters. While most are willing to believe the worst of Rose (Buckley), despite any real evidence, a few in the town, including the sole police woman (Anjana Vasan) and even some of the victim’s friends (who, like others in the town eventually become targets of the letters) dig a little deeper to discover the truth of the situation.
Wicked Little Liars is a fun little film with aspects of both a farce and a whodunit that never goes all in on either one. While I think turning up either the mystery or the comedy could of helped in spots, it’s still an enjoyable 100 minutes featuring strong performances punctuating the unusual tale.
Set during the middle of the suffrage movement, the film has plenty to say about the rights and limitations on women of the time both in how Edith (Coleman) is treated by her father and how Gladys’ (Vasan) insights and suggestions are often ignored by her coworkers forcing her to work undercover with the help of neighbors to root out the truth. The letters which give the film its name provide some rather descriptive profanity to the shock of the prim and proper locals. Even if the mystery isn’t as strong as it could be, the road to the truth is a journey which provides its share of entertaining moments.
Watch the trailer