Wicked Little Letters' trailer was really enticing, but unfortunately it was an overpromising highlight reel of the few funny snapshots stowed away from the film's full 1 hour 40 minute runtime. What we're presented with is a lot of underdeveloped filler, not to mention revisionist history spoiling it.
The essence of the film (loosely based on a true story) is that a series of offensive letters are posted, and, owing to the period in 1920s Sussex, the dastardly poison-pen cannot easily be traced - leading to an ensuing investigation. The farcical insults themselves were banal and short of wit or creativity. Yes, people of that time would probably be shocked or rattled by any such combination of words, given all the god-fearing and preoccupation with social decorum going on. All the on-screen gawping attests to that being acknowledged. In the 21st century, however, scattered strings of unfunny swear words aren't outrageous zingers, they're just tepidly cliché.
The film is hardly faithful to its historical setting either (assuming that's even what it wanted to do), which is perhaps its biggest blunder. Policewoman Gladys Moss was not Indian, yet was cast as such. A black judge would have been virtually impossible, yet one was cast. Among several other people of colour being selected for roles. I wouldn't depict the Zulus with a caucasian man or asian man leading the vanguard, yet here we suffer historical revisionism trashing a promising setting. Every white male was depicted as a flawed buffoon. Women and people of colour were given a far more favourable image. The result is dull, spiritless imbalance.
4/10.
The essence of the film (loosely based on a true story) is that a series of offensive letters are posted, and, owing to the period in 1920s Sussex, the dastardly poison-pen cannot easily be traced - leading to an ensuing investigation. The farcical insults themselves were banal and short of wit or creativity. Yes, people of that time would probably be shocked or rattled by any such combination of words, given all the god-fearing and preoccupation with social decorum going on. All the on-screen gawping attests to that being acknowledged. In the 21st century, however, scattered strings of unfunny swear words aren't outrageous zingers, they're just tepidly cliché.
The film is hardly faithful to its historical setting either (assuming that's even what it wanted to do), which is perhaps its biggest blunder. Policewoman Gladys Moss was not Indian, yet was cast as such. A black judge would have been virtually impossible, yet one was cast. Among several other people of colour being selected for roles. I wouldn't depict the Zulus with a caucasian man or asian man leading the vanguard, yet here we suffer historical revisionism trashing a promising setting. Every white male was depicted as a flawed buffoon. Women and people of colour were given a far more favourable image. The result is dull, spiritless imbalance.
4/10.