Wicked Little Letters is based on a true story in the 1920s in the Sussex seaside town of Littlehampton. God fearing spinster Edith Swan (Olivia Colman), amongst others, starts receiving a a series of obscene letters. At the encouragement of her father (Timothy Spall), suspicion falls on her fun loving neighbour Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley).
This was one of my most anticipated films of 2024. But then Cineworld starting showing the trailer before every film I have seen since the start of November, to the point I felt sick of it before seeing it. However, I tried to put those thoughts aside when seeing the film proper. Despite those misgivings, Wicked Little Letters turned out to be an absolute joy. Unaware of the real story, I was swept along with the narrative and delighted at the inventive swearing!
The plot may not be complex, and it veers fropm the truth in a lot of ways, but the performances carry the film along. Buckley is fantastic, Spall scary, and Anjana Vasan superb as the one police employee who thinks that Rose is innocent.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10