Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Timothy Spall star, based on a surprising true story from merry old England.
Wash your mouth out with soap!
Many bars of soap would be needed to deal with The Case of the Wicked Little Letters, a mystery that arose in a quiet seaside town in England about 100 years ago. Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) has received a series of scabrous, anonymous missives that shock and outrage the pious woman, who has remained single into middle-age in order to remain home and care for her parents.
Her father, Edward (Timothy Spall), is a 19th century relic who belittles Edith’s every move and jumps to the conclusion that their tart-tongued neighbor Rose (Jessie Buckley) must be the culprit. His assumption is that Rose, an Irish migrant and single mother with a darling young daughter, Nancy (Alisha Weir), and a live-in boyfriend, Bill (Malachi Kirby), is writing the spiteful letters.
Rose is known for her boisterous spirit and profane speech, and briefly worked for the family as a housekeeper. So she must have a grudge against his daughter, Edward thinks. Edward is even more offended than Rose, prompting him to report the matter to the local constabulary and demand an investigation to determine guilt, which quickly leads them to agree with Edward and arrest Rose for libel, even though she denies guilt.
Written by British comedian Jonny Sweet, who is known for his sketch comedy and work in television, Wicked Little Letters traffics freely in the outrageousness of hearing obscene speech spat out by actors in period costumes. It’s a bit like hearing children spout profanities; the first occurrence is shocking because it’s probably completely unexpected, but the effects wears off pretty quickly with repetition until the threat of ‘soap in the mouth’ might appear to be a viable means of dealing with the issue.
Directed by British stage veteran Thea Sharrock (The One and Only Ivan, 2020), the film takes off early due to the dirty-talking wit of the letters and the repartee between an enthusiastically bawdy Jessie Buckley and the prim and proper Olivia Colman. They both take delight in their characters, assaying them with deep feeling for their differing backgrounds and experiences in life, which are nicely delineated in the script.
Striking a tonal balance between the two, police officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan, who starred in the sparkling We Are Lady Parts) investigates the origin of the letters further because she comes to believe that Rose is innocent of the charges against her. Vasan is quite good at suggesting her continual disbelief and frustration at the actions of others, especially when it comes to her male police seniors.
The film creaks and strains a bit as it plays out a narrative that is not terribly surprising in its resolution. The overriding fun, though, comes from the lively performances and the sly observations on how much the culture has changed over the past 100 years. And how much the culture has not changed, as anyone who has had the misfortune of stepping into a social-media controversy storm knows from unfortunate personal experience.
The film is now playing in New and Los Angeles and opens Friday, April 5, at theaters through Dallas/Fort Worth. For more information about the film, visit the official site.
Dallas Film Now. 