Wicked Little Letters at TIFF 2023 — Media Women Worldwide

Written By: Margaux Fortier

Wicked Little Letters, directed by Thea Sharrock, had the world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2023. The dark comedy reunited Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, along with a full cast of familiar British acting legends, for a small laugh-out-loud story of bickering neighbors that escalates to involve legal trouble.

Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman | Image Courtesy of TIFF

When filthy-worded poison pen letters start arriving in a 1920’s English village, it becomes an instant scandal. But who wrote them and why? Directed towards the strictly religious Edith, played by Olivia Colman, her parents, played by Gemma Jones and Timothy Spall, involve the authorities to try to get the letters to stop and life to go back to normal. Quickly, non-traditional Irish neighbor Rose, played by Jessie Buckley, is blamed and immediately thrown into the arms of the law. But is she guilty? Or is she being judged for being different from the rest of the village?

Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley | Wicked Little Letters IMDb

The juxtaposition of the language in the letters and situations of the characters to the quiet pious village is British comedy at its best. As the story unfolds, the stakes get higher and the jokes become more and more outrageous. Olivia Colman, a powerhouse of the film festival scene, is the perfect casting for the uptight and praise-seeking Edith and Jessie Buckley nails the free spirit opposition who shows the impact of judgement and pre-conceived ideas.

An unexpected additional element of the film was the storyline of Police Officer Gladys Moss, a young woman trying to make her mark on the police force to follow in the footsteps of her father. Living in a time where sexism and racism is the norm, she must go against her superiors to follow her instincts. She also is the only one who thinks to look to the other women in the small village for in depth information about what’s really going on. Acting as the unofficial detective on the case that seems to be open-and-shut to her fellow officers, she must create a name for herself and also solve the mystery plaguing the village she serves. She is the heart of the film and the thread connecting the community to the law. Actress Anjana Vasan is endearing and relatable and pushes the film to unexpected places.

Director Thea Sharrock | Image Courtesy of tiff.net

From the acting to the directing to the music, this film has a cast and crew full of accomplished women. Especially impressive is how the atmosphere and tone of the film are created. The editing of Melanie Oliver and the music of Isobel Waller-Bridge make the rhythm of the world and brings the vision of director Thea Sharrock to the audience as an encompassing story. The plot is enthralling and the characters are compelling and the audience will be wondering what will happen next while laughing beginning to end.

For more information about the film, you can check out the links below!

Wicked Little Letters: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20234774/

Director Thea Sharrock: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4824763/

Olivia Colman: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1469236/

Jessie Buckley: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2976580/

Anjana Vasan: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4696728/

Editor Melanie Oliver: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0646941/

Isobel Waller-Bridge: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3804256/