Wicked Little Letters (2024), directed by Thea Sharrock, stars Jessie Buckley, Olivia Coleman, Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Malachi Kirby, Alisha Weir, Hugh Skinner, Gemma Jones, Paul Chahidi, Joanna Scanlan, Lolly Adefope, and Eileen Atkins. The film follows Edith (Coleman), a God-fearing member of a little seaside English town who begins receiving mysterious, profanity-laced letters. Almost immediately, the city accuses Edith’s former friend Rose (Buckley), an Irish immigrant known for being rowdy and profane, of sending the letters. When it becomes clear that Rose was charged without sufficient evidence, policewoman Gladys Moss (Vasan) defies her superiors and sets out to find the true culprit and clear Rose’s name in the process. 

The tone of the film is very specific, but the A-list cast nails it. This is especially true about the two leads: Jessie Buckley and Olivia Coleman. Buckley is perfect casting as the town’s rowdy and fun-loving Irish immigrant who constantly questions the social norms of her conservative British town. In the modern day, this character’s sensibilities would be considered somewhat normal, but in the context of 1920s England, she’s considered the dredge of society. This makes her persecution believable while still allowing the audience to root for the character. This is a story that I don’t see working well in another setting because I don’t think it’s believable in any other setting. Coleman is likewise great as Edith, a character who is almost the complete opposite of Rose. The character requires a lot of range so it doesn’t ever feel like Coleman’s talents are being wasted. Her ability to switch between sweet and nasty at the drop of a hat is impressive to watch. 

The film is at its strongest when it focuses on the relationship between these two characters. It explores how strong friendships can be dismantled by simple social expectations, leading people to often disregard those who would be best for them. It also explores the idea that those who are nicest to one’s face may actually be talking the most crap behind your back. This story of a friendship gone wrong feels akin to last year’s The Banshees of Inisherin (2023), but a much less serious version.

Unfortunately, the film sort of falls apart when it focuses on Anjana Vasan’s policewoman character. There’s nothing wrong with Vasan’s performance, but her character’s story often focuses heavily on feminist themes of women not being taken seriously in traditionally male-dominated fields. Although I don’t disagree with this message, it’s bothersome because this has been the most common theme/message in films for the last decade. It’s just unoriginal to the point of boredom. It’s also far too on the nose with this messaging in the sense that every character who’s a white male is framed as a bumbling idiot while everyone else is framed as a morally pure victim.

The film features a lot of clever, fast-paced dialogue that supports its strong sense of “British comedy. There aren’t a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, but it consistently puts a grin on the viewer’s face. These lighter sensibilities are likewise supported by the Wes Anderson-esque visual style and the fact that the overall story is pretty low-stakes. It’s also well-edited, clocking in at a swift 100 minutes. Because the stakes of the story are low, it knows not to overstay its welcome. There also aren’t any true/clear villains here. It’s easy to sympathize with every character and therefore forgive them by the end of the film. No matter what they’ve done, no one is beyond redemption.

Overall, this is a fun little British mystery-comedy that’s a tough film to criticize beyond the fact that it doesn’t feel very thematically original. It features strong performances and is consistently entertaining. It won’t blow anyone’s mind, but I imagine it will appeal to audiences that aren’t too keen on meaner and more violent films. It’s a positive experience, and that’s not something we get in droves nowadays. All this being said, I find this to be a film that lacks a memorable “remember that scene?” moment. I wanted something more to really excite me in the end. Either way, check it out if it sounds like it’s up your alley; everyone else who’s on the fence will find it unremarkable yet inoffensive. B-