DVD Corner

Wicked Little Letters DVD Review

“Wicked Little Letters” is well acted, but is lacking in the storytelling department.  

Based on a true story, the Jonny Sweet scripted story revolves around neighbors Edith and Rose in Littlehampton, England in the year 1920. Edith is an English Christian spinster who lives with her parents. Rose is the complete opposite. She’s an Irish mother to a daughter who isn’t afraid to voice her opinion or express her wild side. When Edith begins to receive obscene anonymous letters, she immediately thinks Rose is responsible. Despite no evidence, Rose becomes jailed for the scandal and is even put on trial. A female police officer (Glady Moss) believes Rose is innocent, but she is not taken seriously as an officer by her sexist colleagues. Who is really sending the letters and can the culprit be found before Rose is wrongfully imprisoned? 

Although the true story may garner interest on its own, the real reason to watch the Thea Sharrock directed “Wicked Little Letters” is because of the cast. Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman are undoubtedly 2 of the best actresses in the biz right now and their performances are nothing short of captivating. Colman plays a lonely uptight Christian woman whose life is essentially dominated by her controlling father while Buckley plays the free spirited, foul mouthed Rose. Both vulnerable characters are also harboring their own secrets. Seeing the two play off of each other is the true joy of the film. To be fair, watching them read a phone book as these characters would be entertaining in and of itself. Add in Timothy Spall as the loathsome father of Edith and Anjana Vasan as Gladys and you’ve got yourself a real acting tour de force here. 

As for the story itself, it’s a very straight forward breezy comedy which may be fine for some, but it feels like something’s missing here. Yes, there’s something to be said for how this once scandalous story seems to still be relevant in this age of judgments, lies, and anonymous trolling on social media. The story’s exploration of sexism and the patriarchy also packs a punch. Where the story comes up short is with the narrative which seems to bide its time until the big reveal of who is sending the letters. A deeper examination of the characters and an exploration of what drove the person to write the letters would have gone a long way as everything presented here is far too surface level for its own good.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1. Grade: B+

Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. Grade: B+

Extras:
* Theatrical trailer
* “Frenemies”- Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman talk about their respective characters.
* “Trolling In The Twenties” covers the themes.
* “True Story” is all about the true story of the film.

June 6, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Comedy, Jessie Buckley, Olivia Colman, Timothy Spall, True Story, Wicked Little Letters, Wicked Little Letters DVD Review