'Wicker' Fashions a Fable Into a Wonderfully Weird Romp

This week, in the first of two new episodes, Sophie and Rudi discuss “Wicker,” co-directors and co-writers Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s film adaptation of Ursula Wills’ 2008 short story “The Wicker Husband.” The new movie stars Oliva Colman as a fisherwoman who asks a basket weaver, played by Peter Dinklage, to make her a husband out of wicker who looks like Alexander Skarsgard. Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan, and Richard E. Grant co-star in this charming and amusing period piece that’s part fable, part romance novel come to life. After sharing brief, spoiler-free thoughts on “Wicker” (01:49), they detail “The Wicker Husband’s” unlikely journey from online publication to proper publication (03:45) and, ultimately, a feature-length film from the husband-and-wife directing duo Fischer and Wilson (06:52). They also explore why a short story like this was the perfect starting point to build a more expansive movie. Then they dive deep into a discussion of the film’s plot and themes (09:48). Throughout their chat, Sophie and Rudi explain why they found “Wicker” so charming, how they were (and weren’t) able to suspend disbelief, what’s so great about the performances from Colman and Skarsgard, and the clever ways “Wicker” packs societal commentary into a weird but thoughtful comedy. Finally, Sophie makes her Sophie’s Choice pick for which she enjoyed more: Reading “The Wicker Husband” or watching “Wicker” (38:08). On Friday, we’re back with another new episode to chat about “Klara and the Sun,” director Taika Waititi's disappointing adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel of the same name. The film stars Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Mia Tharia. Next week, we’re discussing “Wildwood,” director Travis Knight and Laika Studios’ stop-motion animation adaptation of Colin Meloy’s first novel in his “Wildwood Chronicle” series, which has an all-star voice cast. It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays. Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod TikTok: @itwasabookfirst YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast Email: [email protected] Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg Editing: Rudi Greenberg Social media: Sophie Vershbow Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto Website: Kevin Pfab