Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård explore desire in folk horror Wicker
In *Wicker*, Olivia Colman plays a lonely, depressed fisherwoman who asks a basketmaker to create her a husband. Alexander Skarsgård plays the resulting wicker figure, devoted to her pleasure and happiness, in a folk-horror fairy tale that turns a strange premise into a story about emotional connection and patriarchal expectations.
Set in a medieval village, the film features British comic actors including Peter Dinklage, Phil Daniels and Richard E Grant. Skarsgård performed in a full bodysuit, face mask and prosthetics designed with help from Weta Workshop; he says he had to exaggerate his movements and sounds so his performance would register. Colman praised how much he conveyed despite those constraints, while the filmmakers describe the story’s emotional centre as connecting with a basket.
In short
- Colman plays a fisherwoman who commissions a wicker husband.
- Skarsgård’s masked performance relies on exaggerated movement and sound.
- The folk-horror comedy explores intimacy and patriarchal expectations.
Explained simply
Folk horror uses folklore, rural settings and unsettling supernatural elements to create unease. The genre often draws on older tales and customs, while fairy tales can use fantastical characters to explore human relationships and social expectations.
Wickerwork is the craft of weaving flexible materials such as willow into objects, including baskets. In stories, a figure made from wicker can blur the line between an everyday handmade object and a living being.
Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård are actors known for work across film and television. The film’s medieval village setting and its basketmaker connect its fantastical premise to traditional crafts and folklore.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘I saw the script and went: oooh!’ Olivia Colman and Alexander Skårsgard on their steamy folk-horror movie Wicker”.