Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Wicked Little Letters’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley as Edith Swan and Rose Gooding in Thea Sharrocks’ WICKED LITTLE LETTERS. (Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures.)

We are taught from a very early age, that we should always ignore the mean words that people are going to send our way in this life, for a bevy of reasons. One of which relates to the fact that those who are speaking to us in a sour manner, likely have a sour disposition. So, what they say comes from a place of darkness, one not worth giving agency to. Plus, they’re just words after all, and those should never carry any weight in this life. Because words don’t matter, according to our parents, unless we let them matter, and so we hold to that advice through and through as we grow. Only to learn… that this particular lesson is wholly incorrect. 

Because words do matter, and they do indeed have great impact upon us in a positive and negative manner. And the negative stuff, really does nag at us, especially when its malicious in nature. To the point where those words can make us second guess ourselves, bring down our self-esteem and our spirits and they can in fact, wound deeply. Which is why we need to give words more credit in this life and handle things differently when the nasty ones come our way. Because words are always spoken with intent and purpose, and understanding that, could go a long way in life. If anything, the power of words, the gravity we should give them, and what that would do for all of us is top of mind, because that’s all explored in the most unique way possible in the brand-new feature film, Wicked Little Letters.
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A feat that this story accomplishes, by taking us back in time to the 1920s, to Littlehampton, England specifically, where this simple community finds itself rocked by quite the scandal. In that, someone has been writing the most vulgar letters possible to Edith Swan. A simple woman that lives a simple life with her family and she cannot understand such abuse, and it becomes so out of hand… that the police become involved and firmly believe, it is Edith’s rowdy neighbor, Rose Gooding, that is responsible. For she has no filter and tends to use the language present in those very letters. Giving rise to legal troubles for Rose that are only amplified when the letters begin to appear in other mailboxes around town. For with no other suspect present, and decency laws being what they are… she’s in danger of having the book thrown at her, unless someone can reveal who is truly writing these wicked little letters, since Rose makes it clear… it most certainly is not her.

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Which is the perfect way to explore the power of words, and how it is impossible to be ignorant of them and impossible to deny them agency. Because nasty words are nasty words and they do get under our skin, and that power is seen here in a perfect manner. Since the letters basically wear people down and make them think deeply upon themselves and their lives, and they hurt because of the malicious nature of them and that truly does hammer home that central theme and allows for the story to do more than just examine the impact of nasty words upon our psyche, it also gives rise to a grand exploration about what motivates someone to go that route and choose to cause harm with their words over anything.
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That in turn brings forth a fascinating opportunity to really ponder upon the root causes of such matters and how to use that to approach people that use the negative power of words. To reach them and help them understand the consequences of their actions and to start a healthy dialogue at last. Which provides us with a complete journey regarding such matters and it also helps the viewer to understand the nature of communication as a whole. Which is something we can always use a refresher on because the moment can lead us to grunt instead of speak, or not allow for us to really think about the right words at the right time and this story really does affirm how much that matters, and how to maintain it, and what’s wild… is that it still has more to offer beyond those powerful lessons.

For at its core, this story, one grounded in elements from a scandal of this nature from that era… is a comedy. Which is the perfect way to deliver its messages and musings because then the material is never overwhelming, and we can find a little joy in a story that also echoes 2024. Since battles of words are everywhere to be found today, and all of these elements bring forth, one delightful motion picture. One that features amazing acting to boot, since every actor here sells the wonder of this story through and through and this is a movie that also harbors a lot of heart. Since it really does task us to think before we speak and use the right words at the right time, so there is never doubt about how we feel or what we want, and that really is a critical message to hear right now.

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