Once upon a time, my wife and I went to a movie theater. It was a Halloween afternoon not so long ago. We saw the new film Wicker, which we both liked very, very much. The end.
Well, not quite. As you probably know by now, Wicker the film was written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson. It was inspired by Ursula Wills's quite different short story (Tordotcom, e-book or audiobook) and made for a relatively modest $10 million or so by Black Bear, an indie studio. When the racy first trailer appeared in August, the film quickly gathered anticipatory momentum that continued through its October 23 U.S. release date.
Here's the movie's official synopsis: "On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a Fisherwoman; smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker. In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos."
Men in the village are named for their professions (the Tailor, the Butcher) and women for their husband's profession (the Shoemaker's Wife, the Bottlewasher's Wife). The only characters with their own monikers are the Fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman, and the Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård), who is created by the mysterious Basketmaker (Peter Dinklage).
Not only has the movie inspired companies like Ikea and Homegoods to rethink their basket departments, it has also prompted headlines like "How Olivia Colman Starrer Wicker Went from Unpublished Short Story to a Big-Screen Feminist Romantasy"; " 'Screams on the level of a Taylor Swift concert': horny romp Wicker gets the 4DX treatment"; "What does Olivia Colman's hot sex with a basket tell us about heteropessimism?"; and "Alexander Skarsgard And Olivia Colman's Romantic Fantasy Movie Is A Sleeper Box Office Hit." By independent film standards, it's a runaway success already.
I'd noticed early on that Wicker was drawing the attention of indie booksellers, like Curious Iguana, Frederick, Md., which posted last summer: "A tisket, a tasket, a BOOK inspired the basket! Still thinking about the WICKER film trailer?"
Black Bear smartly sent lucky bookshops a life-size cutout of the Wicker Husband himself. The Ripped Bodice Bookstore, with locations in Los Angeles and Brooklyn, expressed its appreciation by saying "thank you again BLACK BEAR for our wicker husband. Who's excited for Wicker Movie ?????" And Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, Calif., posted: "Something Wicker-dly handsome is coming to Vroman's tomorrow! Stop in and snap a pic with your wicker husband. He's even more striking in person!"
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| At the Ripped Bodice | |
As the October release date approached, Wicker bookseller fever increased dramatically, with bookshops like the Next Chapter, A Romance Bookstore, Clio, Mich., posting "SOLD OUT. Emagine Birch Run confirmed they have Wicker this week, so we did the only logical thing: we bought out the ENTIRE theater.... If you've ever wanted to spend a Friday night watching an absolute chaotic fever dream about a man made entirely of patio furniture (yes, really), your time has come. Come get rowdy with us and watch Alexander Skarsgård strut around in a wicker suit. Tickets are strictly limited and we will sell out. (Please leave your lighters at home. Our movie boyfriend is highly flammable.)"
Many booksellers were able to offer private screening events for their customers. Slow Burn Bookstore, Nashville, Tenn., extended this invitation: "Come join us and your fellow Romance Lovers for a movie night! Monster babes I'm calling you out.... This will be a totally private advance screening of the anticipated Wicker! Tickets in bio! This event is very limited, so run."
Blue Couch Bookshop, Columbus, Ohio, celebrated "Wicker Week" with an invitation to "come shop our sentient romance display at Blue Couch Bookshop before you head to @grandviewtheater to see Wicker on the big screen this weekend! We cannot wait!"
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| Last Page book club | |
The Last Page Bookstore, Moore, Okla., "had another fun book club movie night watching Wicker! We all loved it so if you haven't seen it yet, you should!" The Plot Twist Bookbar, Denton, Tex., asked: "Was the Wicker movie everything you hoped and dreamed it would be? We know it was for us."
FMC Books, Missoula, Mont., shared a POV: "Being completely normal about Wicker Movie. Obviously. The anticipation? Unreasonable. The behavior? Questionable. The commitment to the bit? Unwavering. Join your fellow book gremlins on October 28th for our WICKER release celebration.... Come for the wicker. Stay for the absolutely unhinged company."
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| Blush and Burn book club | |
The after-effects of the bookish Wicker screenings? Blush & Burn Books, Salt Lake City, Utah, posted: "What an amazing night with the book club to see Wicker! It was so much fun and the movie was great! We are so grateful for our book club girls!" And the Rose Romance Bookstore, Mooresville, Ind., noted: "We went and saw Wicker this evening. We laughed till we cried. Five stars."
Booksellers were also celebrating the film's release with in-store events. Australian bookseller Romancing the Novel in Sydney hosted "an incredible night celebrating Wicker with our fabulous community! We all came together to decorate and spend time with our Wicker husband."
Once Upon a Bookstore, Falls River, Mass., suggested some compatible merch: "If you have seen the movie, if your people won't stop talking about the movie, please know that Book Baskets make fabulous gifts for $42. Let's continue to celebrate Wicker."
None of this marks "The End" of Wicker's tale, however. As author Wills wrote: "Some stories are just stories, but some need to be out there, like they're needed in the universe for some reason. For things to happen, or people to move forward. I think this is one of those stories.... I don't think his journey is over, yet."