Evil little letters
“Little Letter Wicked” is a 2023 British black comedy-suspense film directed by Thea Sharrock and written by Jonny Sweet. The film has a strong cast, including Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Wasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lori Adefope, Eileen Atkins and Timothy Spall.
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Based on a true scandal that rocked Britain in the 1920s, the film revolves around Edith Swann and Rose Gooding, neighbours in the seaside town of Littlehampton. Rose begins to come under suspicion when Edith and others receive a series of obscene letters. As the letters escalate, Rose risks losing her freedom and custody of her daughter.
Officer Gladys Moss is determined to find the real culprit and works with a group of women to solve the mystery. Little Letter of Evil is expected to appeal to fans of thriller stories and movies. The film is directed by Thea Sherlock and will be released on February 23, 2024.
Based on a true story, this film delves into the scandalous events of 1920s Britain. In the film, Olivia Colman plays Edith Swan, a local conservative who forms a friendship with her neighbor Ross Gooding, played by Jessie Buckley. The plot of the film is inspired by real events that happened during that era.
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Is Little Letters of Evil based on a true story?
The story is based on real events that shocked Britain in the 1920s. The story revolves around neighbors Edith Swan and Rose Gooding in the seaside town of Littlehampton. In 1920, residents of the town began to receive anonymous vulgar letters, mainly directed at a woman named Edith Swan (played by Coleman in the film). The letters insulted her, using words such as “cow” and “whore”, and became increasingly explicit, even criticizing the appearance of her cakes in a very vivid way.
In the Edwardian era, it was considered inappropriate for women to use even mild swearing, which made the scandal surrounding the letters all the more remarkable. People quickly pinned the blame on Rose Gooding, an outspoken Irishwoman known for her colorful language, played by Buckley. The Daily Mail dubbed the incident “The Seaside Mystery,” sparking an investigation by journalists and detectives in the seaside town.
The investigation led to a witch hunt and a high-profile lawsuit. Interestingly, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1943 film The Raven, about a series of inflammatory letters causing chaos in a small French town, was also inspired by real events from the same period. In 1917, the town of Toul in the Limousin region of France was similarly divided by an anonymous letter writer known as “The Raven.”
Evil Little Letters Cast
Olivia Colman is known for her roles including Queen Elizabeth II, Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables and Sophie in Peep Show. In her latest role, the 50-year-old actress plays conservative local Edith Swan, who is framed by the gruff Rose Gooding, played by Jessie Buckley.
Coleman, who has been nominated for an Academy Award, has also appeared in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl and the acclaimed film Lost Daughter, for which she received a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The rest of the cast includes Anjana Vasan as policewoman Gladys Moss, Timothy Spall as Edward Swann, Gemma Jones as Victoria Swann, Alyssa Weir as Nancy Gooding (Rose’s daughter), Hugh Skinner as Officer Papplewick, Richard Goulding as Mr Scales, Jason Watkins as Mr Treddeen, and Krishni Patel as Gladys’ niece Winnie Moss.
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Throw |
Features |
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Olivia Colman |
Edith Swan |
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Jesse Buckley |
Ross Gooding |
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Anjana Vasan |
WPC Gladys Moss |
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Timothy Spall |
Edward Swan |
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Gemma Jones |
Victoria Swan |
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Alyssa Weir |
Nancy Gooding (Ross’s daughter) |
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Hugh Skinner |
Officer Papplewick |
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Richard Goulding |
Mr. Scales |
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Jason Watkins |
Mr. Wave |
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Krishni Patel |
Winnie Moss (Gladys’s niece) |
Evil Little Letters Plot
In Wicked Little Letters, the story delves into a scandal that rocked the small English town of Littlehampton in the 1920s. Set in Sussex, the film centers on two neighbors: Edith Swann, a local with conservative values, played by Olivia Colman, and Rose Gooding, an Irish immigrant, played by Jessie Buckley. Despite their differences, their friendship blossoms as they bond over knitting lessons and recipe exchanges.
The peaceful atmosphere of the small town is shattered when residents, including Edith, begin to receive offensive and vulgar letters. Rose Gooding soon becomes the subject of suspicion and becomes the prime suspect behind these disturbing letters. Rose finds herself in legal trouble, facing charges related to these letters and going to trial for them.
However, as the trial progressed, it became clear that Rose was innocent and the real criminal had escaped the punishment of the law. Although Rose experienced hardships such as losing custody of her daughter, her innocence was finally revealed.
As Gooding’s suspicion grows and the trial drags on, Edith exacerbates the situation by writing more letters, culminating in the dramatic ending of “The Wicked Little Letter”. Officer George becomes suspicious and seeks help from other women. Police officer Gladys Moss is sent to monitor Edith and catches her in the act. Edith hurls a series of vulgar insults at him.
Further investigation, including handwriting analysis, confirms that Edith is the true culprit, manipulating the situation and blaming everything on Ross for her own gain. Despite the truth coming out, Edith still has to face the consequences of her actions even after the truth is revealed due to her privileged position in society.
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Trailer for “Little Letter”
Where can I watch Wicked Little Letter?
You can watch Wicked Little Letters (2023) online for free on various streaming platforms like 123movies, Reddit, or as a TV show available on HBO Max or Netflix!
Additionally, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023 and is scheduled to be released in the UK on February 23, 2024.
A 1920s English seaside town is the site of a hilarious and occasionally sinister scandal in this raucous mystery comedy, based on a stranger-than-fiction true story about two neighbors: ultra-conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish immigrant Ross Gooding (Jessie Buckley).
When Edith and her fellow citizens begin receiving mean letters filled with unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Ross is accused of the crime. These anonymous letters cause a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, when the women of the town (led by Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan)) begin investigating the crime themselves, they suspect something is amiss and Ross may not be the criminal after all.
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