Film No. 17. WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (2024). 9th March.

 

Film No. 17  (2024)  March 9th.  11:00 AM  LUNA LEEDERVILLE,  Cine 1, Leederville.

 

"Rose Gooding, "allegedly" harassed a pretty, young, Christian woman" (The judge announces a description of an incident that occurred between Edith and Rose).

NOMINATED: Anticipated Film (Thea Sharrock) Toronto IFF.

What was the best choice, when it came to casting, in this outrageous comedy? Olivia Colman as Edith Swann or Jessie Buckley playing Rose Gooding? Neither! Both  are  great, but newcomer Anjana Vasan (as Police Officer Gladys Moss) steals the show.

The Ealing comedy trope, meets Guy Ritchie, meets Agatha Christie could be a description of what WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (W L L) brings to the screen here. The silliness of the script is surprising when we learn the story is based around an actual Littlehampton feud from the early twenties. Truth being stranger than fiction, is indeed true here. Director Thea Sharrock (ME BEFORE YOU) and first time feature writer, Jonny Sweet blaspheme their way to cheap laughs using modern slang in this 1920's setting.

The theme bubbling away at the base of this handsome production, is the strong will of formerly repressed women, post WW I. Gladys Moss pushes aside the cliched males surrounding her to form her own posse to solve this puzzle. You'll fall in love with Vasan as Moss.  8GUMS.