Olivia Colman's upcoming fantasy romance Wicker has attracted renewed attention after receiving a one-star review from The Telegraph, prompting discussion online about the film's unusual premise: female sexuality and potential double standards in film criticism. The film stars Colman as an isolated fisherwoman who commissions a village basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to create a husband for her from wicker. Alexander Skarsgård plays the resulting figure, whose arrival disrupts the village and challenges its expectations of relationships and social conventions.
The negative review has not deterred all potential viewers. In a discussion on Reddit's r/Fauxmoi community on Sunday, 11 October, the one-star rating prompted users to express greater curiosity about the film, with some saying they had already planned to watch it and others suggesting the review had made the film more appealing.
Wicker's One-Star Review Sparks Online Interest
The reaction followed a one-star review of Wicker by The Telegraph. The rating became the focus of a widely discussed Reddit post, where users questioned whether the film's deliberately unconventional approach had been judged on the terms it intended to explore.
Some commenters appeared particularly interested in the contrast between the film's unusual romantic premise and the reviewer's response. Others said Colman, an Academy Award-winning actor known for her work across film and television, was reason enough to watch.
The discussion also reflected the appeal of original stories that depart from familiar romantic comedy conventions. Rather than centring on a conventional relationship between two people, Wicker places a woman's desire and personal choices at the heart of a fantastical narrative.
The online reaction does not establish that the review has increased ticket sales or changed the film's commercial prospects. However, the discussion demonstrates how a sharply negative review can become a source of curiosity when audiences disagree with a critic's assessment.
Reddit Debates Double Standards on Female Desire
One of the most prominent themes in the discussion was whether films exploring female sexuality receive different treatment from stories that explore male desire.
Some Reddit users compared Wicker with The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro's 2017 romantic fantasy, which won Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018. The film follows Elisa, a mute woman played by Sally Hawkins, who develops a relationship with an amphibious creature held at the government facility where she works.
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The comparison prompted debate over how unconventional relationships and sexual desire are presented in cinema. One commenter suggested that a story about a man exploring his sexuality might be celebrated as an awards-worthy work, while a film focused on a woman's desires could attract a dismissive response.
Other users pointed to the fact that The Shape of Water itself centres on a woman exploring her sexuality, complicating the comparison. The discussion also raised questions about the influence of a filmmaker's perspective and the distinction between a female character's desires and the intentions of the person directing the film.
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These exchanges were opinions expressed by individual commenters rather than evidence of a universal pattern in film criticism. Nevertheless, they placed the one-star review within a broader conversation about how cinema portrays women's pleasure, agency and relationships outside conventional social expectations.
How Wicker Challenges Conventional Romantic Stories
Directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Wicker adapts Ursula Wills-Jones' short story The Wicker Husband. Its central premise combines fantasy, romance and satire, using the creation of an unconventional husband to examine social exclusion and expectations surrounding relationships.
Colman plays a woman who has been marginalised by her community. Her decision to commission a husband made from wicker introduces a relationship that challenges the village's established norms, particularly when the creation proves more extraordinary than those around him expect.
Skarsgård portrays the wicker husband, while Dinklage plays the basketmaker responsible for creating him. The unusual pairing has been a major talking point since the film's trailer appeared online, with audiences reacting to its mixture of romance, fantasy and provocative humour.
The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where its unusual premise attracted attention from critics and audiences. Reviews have varied in their assessment of how effectively the story combines its fantastical elements with its broader themes.
While some responses have focused on the film's originality and performances, others have questioned its execution and tonal consistency. The one-star rating from The Telegraph therefore represents one critical assessment rather than a consensus on the film's quality.
Can Negative Reviews Make a Film More Appealing?
The response to Wicker illustrates how film reviews can become part of a film's online conversation, particularly when a rating clashes with the expectations or interests of potential viewers.
For some Reddit users, the premise itself was enough to generate interest, while the negative review gave them another reason to investigate the film. Others expressed enthusiasm for Colman's performance and the opportunity to see an original story that does not follow a conventional romantic formula.
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Such reactions do not necessarily mean audiences will agree with one another after watching the film. A review that discourages one viewer may encourage another, depending on individual tastes, expectations and attitudes towards experimental storytelling.
The debate surrounding Wicker also shows how audience discussions can extend beyond whether a film is good or bad. In this case, the one-star review became an opening for a wider conversation about female sexuality, representation and the standards applied to unconventional stories.
As interest in Wicker continues ahead of its cinema release, the discussion highlights the divide between critical judgement and audience curiosity. Whether viewers ultimately agree with the negative assessment remains a separate question from the debate the review has already prompted online.
