Set in the period following ‘The Great War’ (World War I), Wicked Little Letters is a comedic re-telling of true events that took place in Littlehampton, England. It follows the tale of a mischievous letter writer with a penchant for obscenities as the wide-spread receipt of profanity-laden letters spark a public uproar, police investigation, and a high-profile court case. The investigation to uncover the culprit and the relationships between the ladies of Littlehampton is captured utilising peppery and tongue-in-cheek dialogue.

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A significant theme of the film is gender relations and Christian conservatism, as the story frames the town’s gender dynamics within the Christian belief system and its associated social structures. The defects of patriarchy are revealed through the battles faced by the film’s primary protagonists. Edith (Olivia Colman) is shown to live in complete servitude and subservience to her overbearing father. Rose (Jessie Buckley) is constantly asserting her independence as a single mother while deflecting taunts and digs at her supposed lack of modesty and morality. Power relations in the workplace are seen through the experiences of Gladys (Anjana Vasan) and how she contends with male colleagues and superiors in the police force.

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Wicked Little Letters is a fascinating story of how profanities alone disrupted and confronted the public moral consciousness of a small English village. A slight downfall of the film is its almost too-simplistic portrayal of male dominance and conservative naivety. The viewer does need to suspend their critical thought to fully enjoy all that this movie has to offer.

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Review:

3.5 jailbirds – “A foxy film!”