Wicked Little Letters

A series of foul-mouthed anonymous letters containing tirades of abuse start landing on the doorsteps of a 1920s English village. When local Christian woman Edith (Olivia Colman) gets one an investigation is opened and the finger quickly gets pointed at her boisterous Irish neighbour (Jessie Buckley).

I love Jessie Buckley and I love swearing and so it’s no wonder than I liked this light-hearted comedy mystery. It’s Sunday-afternoon-with-the-parents stuff really but it does scratch beneath the surface of its premise at least a little bit.

Colman’s character in particular is multi-faceted in spite of her initial one-note appearance and it’s her skill in this role that really gives the film some extra dimensions. Jessie Buckley has an infectious easy-going charm, and the supporting cast (particularly Joanna Scanlon) are really funny.

It’s always crazy to me that these British films with such a big cast and such a good premise are always scared to really push the boundaries in terms of comedy or drama, and sure enough Wicked Little Letters takes few risks in its execution.

An easy film to get on with that is pretty funny, but you have to wonder what it could have been.