Wicker is unashamedly horny and all the better for it

Star GoldStar GoldStar GoldStar GoldStar Grey | Senior Film & Entertainment Reporter Published October 28, 2026 4:47pm Updated October 28, 2026 4:48pm To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The universe was determined I wouldn’t see Wicker. But a railway line suspension and a broken-down Uber were not enough to keep me away. I’ll admit it means I missed the first 15 minutes but, fear not, I did not miss any of those bed-breaking antics between Olivia Colman’s Fisherwoman and her Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård). And let’s face it, it’s these scenes that have been stirring up folks online into a frenzy, with the first trailer immediately finding its audience of feral fangirls and sparking all manner of quips about ’50 Shades of Hay’ and ‘husband material’ (which even Ikea couldn’t resist jumping on to push its wicker items). Based on Ursula Wills’ short story The Wicker Husband, this film is all about having a raunchy, silly, good time. The humour is salty, the premise absurd and the language delightfully ripe, from ‘twiggy t**t’ to describing a period as a ‘strawberry week’. Filmmaking couple Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson have approached Wicker perfectly, assembling an impressive and characterful cast (including Richard E. Grant as a terrifyingly unbothered doctor) to elevate the material into something where the moral of the tale can still prick your conscience. Colman’s Fisherwoman is a smelly outcast in her village, teased and ridiculed by the local women as a spiteful spinster – and led by the pristine Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki). But when a ritual at a wedding suggests she’ll be the next to wed, to the horror of the others, the Fisherwoman decides to take matters into her own hands. Wicker is powered by Olivia Colman’s completely uninhibited performance as the Fisherwoman, a social outcast ridiculed by her village (Picture: Black Bear UK) But taking matters into her own hands, she commissions her very own Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård, in the latest of his delightfully eccentric roles) (Picture: Black Bear UK) She commissions the Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage, chewing his way through the script’s most flowery language) to make her a husband. Simple. And that, ladies, is apparently how you can end up with a woven version of Pillion star Alexander Skarsgård as your devoted spouse. The film’s extraordinary effects – Skarsgård’s incredible wicker costume and prosthetics, designed by industry leaders Wētā Workshop, are all practical – allow his air of handsomeness to even transcend wood. No wonder the Fisherwoman is very pleased. But it’s not just the Wicker Husband’s striking looks that have the village gossiping, it’s also his dedication to his new wife. In the throes of climax, the bed breaks. ‘Bring me a hammer, I will fix it,’ he announces. Mid-thrust during another energetic interlude, he notices a hole in the roof allowing rainwater to drip onto the Fisherwoman’s sole. ‘Bring me a ladder, I will fix it.’ However, his appeal goes far beyond the bed breaking, as any woman will tell you (Courtesy: Black Bear UK) Wicker: Key details Director Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson Writer Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson, based on the short story The Wicker Husband by Ursula Wills Cast Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki, Peter Dinklage, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Phil Daniels, Richard E. Grant, Gustav Lindh, Ella Bruccoleri, Ben Ashenden, Kiell Smith-Bynoe Age rating 15 Run time 1hr 45m Release date Wicker is out in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday, October 30. It released in select US theatres on October 23 and will roll out nationwide on October 30. It’s these acts of service that seem to baffle the locals most of all (as well as the cacophony of sexual sounds emitting from the Fisherwoman’s cottage) – and certainly the men, as they begin to see their wives enchanted by his straightforward attitude, and panic. One local woman intends to ask the Wicker Husband to dance with her at a wedding after observing him and the Fisherwoman dancing to the beat of their own drum with romantic steps; hearing him earnestly declare ‘you are the reason I live and breathe’ to his wife though sees her promptly bottle it. One manly conversation at the Inn then sees the Baker (Ben Ashenden) break down and beg the Wicker Husband to sleep with his disinterested wife (The Other Bennet Sister’s Ella Bruccoleri) – and that’s where all the trouble begins. The film luxuriates in bring pretty horny (Picture: Black Bear UK) There’s also a moral to the story, which the Fisherwoman’s neighbours – including Elizabeth Debicki’s Tailor’s Wife – certainly need to learn (Picture: Black Bear UK) Wicker is a simple tale of human weakness and jealousy at its heart, and in that regard, it won’t surprise you. But it doesn’t go in particularly hard on a deeper meaning – and I don’t think that’s the point. Sometimes films are just here to entertain and fulfil your silly fantasies, and that’s absolutely enough. Wicker has had a hard time with some of the male critics so far, but with respect to my esteemed colleagues I simply say: this film is not for you. Like Wuthering Heights earlier this year – and perhaps even more so – it’s one for the girls, and the gays. Trust us when we say we enjoyed it. And if any man wants any pointers with women, simply take a leaf out of the Wicker Husband’s book and channel your very best timber knight for your soft-bodied female animal of choice. Verdict Amid the current chaos of our planet, and where readers seek refuge in romantasy, Alexander Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband is truly the leading man for our times, and Wicker is the film. Bawdy, bonkers and brilliant. Wicker is in cinemas from Friday. Arrow MORE: The new Netflix Pride and Prejudice trailer reveals a major change for Olivia Colman’s character Arrow MORE: Everyone thinks Wildwood will win an Oscar – but you need to see it yourself Arrow MORE: Why everyone is desperate to see ‘bonkers’ documentary that is selling out cinemas Switched On Get plugged into the week’s must-watch shows, unmissable moments, and expert reviews with Metro TV Editor Sabrina Barr.