Wicked Little Letters

Set in the 1920s in the English coastal town of Littlehampton, this film centers on two neighbours who could hardly be more different. Edith Swan is a devout, deeply conservative local woman; Rose Gooding is a loud, unruly Irish migrant. Their uneasy coexistence collapses when Edith and other townspeople begin receiving anonymous letters packed with obscene, often comically inventive insults. Suspicion lands almost at once on Rose, whose outspoken manner makes her an easy target, and she faces not only a trial but also the threat of losing custody of her daughter. A police officer, Gladys Moss, becomes convinced the case against Rose does not add up, and she and a group of local women begin looking into who is really sending the letters.

Thea Sharrock directed from a screenplay by Jonny Sweet, working from a real episode in the town's history. It is the third of five features Sharrock has directed, following Me Before You and The One and Only Ivan. Olivia Colman plays Edith and also produced, alongside Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin, while Jessie Buckley plays Rose; the cast includes Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Gemma Jones and Malachi Kirby, with 41 credited performers overall.

Made for around 13 million dollars, the film took roughly 27 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from 44,000 votes, with 6.9 out of 10 on TMDB from a far smaller sample; critics' reviews average 6.8 out of 10 across 178 notices, close to the audience verdict.