How 'Wicker' Blends Practical Effects and Comedy for Sundance's Most Unhinged Romance
Who knew a tree could be so sexy?
'Wicker'
Every so often, there's a trailer that turns a lot of heads and gets people asking, "How did they do that?" And that trailer right now is for a romantic comedy with some magical-realism elements, for a movie called Wicker.
Co-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson (Save Yourselves!) have adapted Ursula Wills-Jones’s acclaimed short story, “The Wicker Husband,” for a movie that looks truly bonkers.
Black Bear's official announcement says the movie is about an ostracized fisherwoman (played by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman) who grows tired of her village’s relentless snobbery and commissions the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband out of wicker.
The movie has an incredible cast, led by Academy Award® winner Olivia Colman, Golden Globe® winner Alexander Skarsgård, and Emmy Award® winners Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage.
It debuted at Sundance and now prepares for its wide release via Black Bear.
Wicker isn't just a win for audacious indie storytelling; it also uses practical effects to beckon the audience to take a closer look.
Watch the trailer and let's talk below.
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Building a Wicker Man and His World
This is not your Nicholas Cage Wicker Man, but an iteration all to its own.
The production team behind Wicker enlisted Wētā Workshop (Avatar, The Lord of the Rings) alongside visual effects supervisor Joe Dunckley to design and construct a fully functional, wearable suit for Alexander Skarsgård.
This allows his face to move and to emote while also appearing to be made entirely of wood. No word yet on the other parts which are alluded to in the trailer.
If the images look striking and beautiful to you, it should be no surprise because Academy Award® winner Lol Crawley did the cinematography.
Art Directors Guild Award winner Renátó Cseh (Poor Things) built a world that feels rooted in period textures with this sense of magic that you kinda buy into as you see the village and people who populate it.
The costumes were done by designers Tóth András Dániel and Attila Godena-Juhász. You get this rugged sense of earth and people in every frame.
I loved seeing the fancy clothes of Elizabeth Debicki's character against the rags of Colman’s fisherwoman.
Composer Anna Meredith (Eighth Grade) provided a bold, unconventional score that leans into rhythm and synth-organic hybrids that hit both the comedy and drama and sex on display in the trailer.
It also helps sell the tone, which feels one part fable, one part high comedy, and maybe some forbidding underneath?
Summing It All Up
Wicker hits limited theaters on October 23, 2026, before expanding nationwide on October 30, 2026.
This is a movie we'll keep our eyes on, and I'm excited to see how it is received when it debuts.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
